The festive period is one of the busiest times of the year for travellers, with millions of people setting off to see friends and family. Because of this, you need to know when is best to travel and when is best to avoid travelling.
With the help of National Rail, we’ve put together everything you need to know about train travel over Christmas, what to look out for, when to avoid travelling and details of any major works, to make sure you make it home for Christmas on time!
The basics
Every year, between the Christmas and New year periods, train companies have traditionally carried out major engineering and improvements works on train lines.
Whilst the days leading up to Christmas may be busy, according to National Rail, fewer people travel over the Christmas and New Year bank holiday period, (defined by them as the period between Monday 23 December and Thursday 2 January). This is why train companies decide to carry out essential improvement and engineering work during this time.
If you’re travelling during this time, be sure to leave extra time for your journey, in case of any delays or cancellations. Also, bear in mind that there are no trains running on Christmas Day, and there will be very few running on Boxing Day (the day after Christmas Day).
Major planned works
Over this year’s Christmas and New Year holiday period, National Rail reckons that there are 368 engineering works taking place, but here is a summary of some of the main ones taking place.
London Paddington – Slough / Heathrow from Tuesday 24 to Tuesday 31 December – All lines will be closed from Tuesday 24 to Friday 27 December. 2 of the 4 of lines will be available from Saturday 28 to Tuesday 31 December.
Ashford International from Friday 27 to Sunday 29 December – Engineering work is taking place between Ashford International and Canterbury West, closing some lines. National Rail says that rail replacement buses will be running instead, so make sure you leave extra time for your journey as these can get very busy!
Southminster / Southend Victoria from Friday 27 December to Wednesday 1 January – Engineering work on overhead power cables is taking place at Wickford, closing all lines. Again, rail replacement buses will be running instead.
Edinburgh / Haymarket area over the Christmas and New Year period – Engineering work is taking place at Haymarket, closing most lines through the station. Edinburgh Waverley train station is not affected by this. Again, Rail replacement buses are running. You could also try getting a train from Edinburgh Waverley if you can.
Cardiff and the South Wales area from Friday 27 December to Thursday 2 January –
Engineering work is taking place between Severn Tunnel Junction and Bridgend, closing various lines throughout the day. Buses will be replacing the usual train services.
Be sure to plan ahead
Whilst we’ve listed some of the main route closures and disruptions in this article, I would still recommend checking the website of the train company you are travelling with to make sure you’re not delayed this festive period.
The National Rail website is also a good place to check, as it shows up to date information on disruption across the country. This is especially handy if you’re making a journey involving more than one train company as everything is in one place.
Above all, remember to plan ahead and keep up to date with any delays or changes to make sure you have a safe and stress-free journey this Christmas!
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