Network Rail says most routes will stay open, but a £152m programme will cut services at some of Britain’s busiest stations, close the Great Eastern mainline and keep Elizabeth line trains away from Heathrow for four days
Passengers planning rail journeys at Christmas face significant disruption from engineering work spread over about 10 days. Birmingham New Street, the busiest station outside London, will close from the start of Christmas Eve until 29 December. Intercity services at London Paddington will be heavily curtailed from 27 December to 4 January. Network Rail says the quietest days of the year give it the best chance to carry out about £152m of work to improve reliability and capacity, and that most of the network will remain open.
Paddington and the west
The largest job is on the lines into Paddington, including replacing a junction at Slough. Network Rail has put the cost of the Dolphin Junction scheme at £27.8m, covering new points, a revised track layout and upgraded overhead equipment.
From 27 December to 4 January, most Great Western Railway (GWR) services to Wales and the west of England will start and finish at Reading. Some will divert around Oxford to London Euston. That squeezes the West Coast Main Line, so Avanti West Coast will run a reduced timetable and London Northwestern Railway services will have revised times. Euston–Holyhead trains will generally run only between Wolverhampton or Crewe and Holyhead.
The Elizabeth line west of Paddington and Heathrow Express will not run to the airport between 27 and 30 December. They resume on 31 December, not 31 January as some reports have suggested, according to Network Rail and National Rail. For those four days the Piccadilly line is the only direct rail link between central London and Heathrow. Elizabeth line trains west of Slough face restrictions until 3 January, with full services returning on 4 January.
Disruption starts earlier. Lines serving Paddington close on 28 and 29 November, and GWR has warned of reduced services to Reading on 5–6, 13 and 19–20 December. Amended Sunday timetables follow on 10, 24 and 31 January.
Birmingham New Street
No trains will stop or pass through New Street while overhead power supplies dating back to the 1960s are replaced, and rail replacement buses will serve the city centre. Network Rail describes this as the first stage of a three-year, £13m programme, with further Christmas closures planned in 2027 and 2028. Engineers will also renew 800 metres of track at Soho in a separate £6.4m scheme and install a new turnout at Berkswell linked to HS2 construction.
Transport for West Midlands says replacement buses at New Street are covered by the rail ticket, and qualifying tickets are accepted on National Express buses on the Camp Hill and Cross City lines.
North, east and the south
- East coast mainline: Work at Doncaster on Christmas Eve means trains between London, north-east England and Scotland will be partly replaced by buses between Newark and York, adding two hours to journeys.
- Great Eastern mainline: It closes for 10 days from Christmas Day for track replacement in east London. No Greater Anglia or Elizabeth line trains will run through the area, and there will be no direct Norwich–London trains.
- Huddersfield: The station closes from 27 December, hitting TransPennine Express and Northern services between Leeds and Manchester. Replacement buses will run between Stalybridge, Brighouse, Huddersfield and Wakefield Kirkgate.
- South-east London: Southeastern trains will not serve Charing Cross, Waterloo East or Cannon Street on 27 and 28 December. More than 20 local stations, including Lewisham and Eltham, will have buses only.
- Redhill: Works from 20 December to 3 January bring replacement buses linking Purley, Redhill, Reigate, Horley, Tonbridge and Gatwick.
- Chiltern and Midlands: Chiltern has no trains between Marylebone and Aylesbury Vale Parkway via Amersham on 27–29 December. Northampton–Rugby via Long Buckby is closed from 27 December to 1 January.
What passengers should do
Network Rail’s Anit Chandarana said: “Christmas is a time when many people want to be with family and friends, and most of the railway will be open to help them get there.” He added: “We are sorry that some passengers will face disruption,” and urged people to check journeys before setting off.
National Rail says Oyster and contactless users may be charged normal fares on some alternative routes, while paper and e-ticket holders may travel free. Refund and compensation rights depend on the ticket and operator. National Rail’s guide to the last Christmas Eve trains is expected in late November or early December, with New Year’s Eve details in early December.
