Rail services across parts of the UK will experience 10 days of disruption over the Christmas period due to engineering work, with London Paddington and Birmingham New Street stations closing for five days each.
Major station closures and route alterations
London Paddington station will be closed for five days during the festive season, affecting intercity services to the west of England and Wales until January. Birmingham New Street, the busiest station outside London, will shut from the start of Christmas Eve until 29 December to allow replacement of overhead power supplies. No trains will stop or pass through Birmingham New Street during this closure; rail replacement
buses will operate within Birmingham city centre.
Network Rail also plans partial closure of the East Coast Main Line on Christmas Eve, impacting travel between London, north-east England, and Scotland. Trains running between Newark and York will be replaced with buses, adding approximately two hours to journeys on this route.
Direct services from London to parts of Essex and Norfolk will be suspended for much of the holiday period, reflecting work on the Great Eastern Mainline from London Liverpool Street. This line will be closed for 10 days beginning on Christmas Day for track replacement in east London, meaning Greater
Anglia and Elizabeth line trains will not run through the affected section. Passengers will be unable to travel directly from Norwich to London during this closure.
Service changes to major routes and operators
Great Western Railway services to Wales and the west of England will start and finish at Reading from 27 December to 4 January. Some services will be diverted to run via Oxford to London Euston during this period because of work near Slough on the lines into Paddington. Elizabeth line services west of Paddington and Heathrow Express trains will be suspended after Christmas until 31 December.
TransPennine Express services between Leeds and Manchester will
experience slowdowns for six weeks starting on Christmas Day due to Huddersfield station closure.
Engineering work scope and scheduling rationale
The scheduled works, valued at £152 million, are timed to coincide with the Christmas period when rail traffic is typically low, particularly on 25 and 26 December, allowing upgrades to occur with reduced passenger impact. Projects include the replacement of a junction near Slough, overhead power supply upgrades at Birmingham New Street, and track replacements on the Great Eastern Mainline.
Network Rail aims to use these quieter days to improve the reliability and capacity of the rail network, with essential upgrades targeting key infrastructure points.
Passenger impact and travel advice
Passengers
will face station closures at London Paddington and Birmingham New Street for five days each, suspension of Elizabeth line and Heathrow Express services west of Paddington until 31 December, and no direct train connection from Norwich to London during the Great Eastern Mainline closure.
Travelers on the East Coast Main Line between Newark and York will encounter bus replacements on Christmas Eve, extending journey times by up to two hours. In Birmingham, rail replacement buses will operate while New Street station is closed. TransPennine Express customers should expect slower services between Leeds and Manchester for six weeks from Christmas Day.
Network Rail emphasizes that most routes will remain open and alternative travel options will be provided during these disruptions.
Official statements from Network Rail
Network Rail’s group director for system operation noted that the Christmas period is the most suitable time to undertake major works as the majority of the railway network remains operational and passenger volumes are lower. Efforts have been made to maintain services on busy travel days and to ensure alternatives when usual routes are affected.
The director acknowledged that some passengers will encounter disruption but highlighted that the quiet days between Christmas and New Year provide the best opportunity to complete
significant infrastructure improvements. Passengers are urged to verify travel plans prior to departure due to the scheduled works.
