05:51PM, Tuesday 16 December 2025
Rail passengers are being urged to plan over the Christmas and New Year period, with disruption expected on parts of the network.
The festive travel period runs from Tuesday, December 23, to Friday, January 2, during which Network Rail will carry out major engineering and upgrade works.
Several train operators will also run reduced or amended timetables.
No trains will run to or from the main London Liverpool Street station from Saturday, December 27, to Thursday, January 1, but the majority of Elizabeth line trains calling at the dedicated Elizabeth line station will be unaffected by the engineering work.
There will be no National Rail services on Christmas Day, while most trains will not run on Boxing Day, besides a limited service on a small number of routes.
Passengers are advised to check journeys regularly using the National Rail Journey Planner, as timetables are still being finalised and train times may change at short notice.
Travellers should pay attention to any warnings shown and re-check plans before setting off to avoid disruption.
Tuesday December 23
No details of any service changes have been announced, and it's normal service.
Wednesday December 24 – Christmas Eve
There will be an early shutdown on Christmas Eve, with the last South Western Railway (SWR) services departing London Waterloo before 10pm.
Great Western Railway (GWR) services on all routes will generally wind down from 9pm on Christmas Eve.
Elizabeth line will have a Saturday level of service in the afternoon and finish earlier than normal on Christmas Eve.
Thursday December 25 - Christmas Day
There will be no SWR services, no GWR services and no Elizabeth line services on Christmas Day.
Friday December 26 - Boxing Day
There will be no SWR services, no GWR services and no Elizabeth line services on Boxing Day.
Saturday December 27
Due to major engineering work, London Waterloo to Windsor & Eton Riverside SWR services will start from Clapham Junction.
Replacement buses will run between Slough and Burnham/Taplow as the following GWR trains will not call at Burnham or Taplow:
Due to engineering work, a reduced Elizabeth line service will operate between West Drayton and Maidenhead.
Sunday December 28
Due to major engineering work, London Waterloo to Windsor & Eton Riverside SWR services will start from Clapham Junction.
Due to overnight engineering work, replacement buses will run between Slough and Burnham because the following GWR trains will not call at Burnham:
Due to very early Sunday morning engineering work, the 00:07 Marlow to Maidenhead GWR service will terminate at Bourne End.
A replacement bus will run from Bourne End to Cookham, Furze Platt and Maidenhead.
Due to engineering work, a reduced Elizabeth line service will operate between West Drayton and Maidenhead.
Monday December 29
Due to major engineering work, London Waterloo to Windsor & Eton Riverside SWR services will start from Clapham Junction.
Due to overnight engineering work, the 00:01 (Tuesday) GWR service from London Paddington to Reading will not call Burnham or Taplow.
A connecting bus will depart at 00:27 (Tuesday) from Slough to Burnham 00:37 and Taplow 00:47.
Also, a bus will depart at 23:57 from Taplow and Burnham 00:07 (Tuesday) to Slough to connect with the train.
Tuesday December 30
Due to major engineering work, London Waterloo to Windsor & Eton Riverside SWR services will start from Clapham Junction.
An amended 'split' GWR train service will run between London Paddington and Hayes & Harlington (calling at Ealing Broadway and Southall) and between Maidenhead and Reading (calling at Twyford) until 5am on Tuesday, due to very early morning engineering work.
There will be no connection between Hayes & Harlington and Maidenhead before 5am.
Wednesday December 31
Due to major engineering work, London Waterloo to Windsor & Eton Riverside SWR services will start from Clapham Junction.
Great Western Railway services on all routes will generally close from 10.30pm on New Year's Eve.
Thursday January 1 2026 - New Year's Day
A limited number of additional services will run from London Waterloo in the early hours of New Year’s Day for customers returning from festivities in London.
But due to major engineering work, London Waterloo to Windsor & Eton Riverside SWR services will start from Clapham Junction.
Following the celebrations on New Year's Eve there will be extra Elizabeth line trains running in the early hours of New Year's Day.
Friday January 2
Due to major engineering work, London Waterloo to Windsor & Eton Riverside SWR services will start from Clapham Junction.
Normal service is expected on GWR and the Elizabeth line, and no details of any service changes have been announced.
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