Train passengers told to journey today or miss New Year’s Eve celebrations

Hundreds of passengers face missing out on New Year’s Eve revelry as Northern Rail warns it will not have enough staff to cover travel on 31st December.

Ticket restrictions have been lifted on Northern services, for customers to use tickets dated 31 Dec on the 29 and 30 December, as the provider encourages early travel ahead of New Year’s celebrations.

The festive period has already witnessed a number of travel disruptions to key routes in the wake of Storm Gerrit, with forecasters warning of more heavy rain and wind on the way.

Follow the latest updates in i‘s liveblog.