Christmas and New Year engineering works
We’ve planned essential engineering works over the Christmas and New Year bank holiday period.
Over Christmas and New Year, our engineers will be working round the clock across Britain They’ll be:
- renewing 45 sets of points
- replacing four bridges
- installing 40km of new signalling cables
- renewing 17 level crossings and undertaking seven signalling commissionings
This work will help make the trains run better and have fewer delays. They’ll also work on drainage projects to stop problems from heavy rain.
The majority of work will take place from Tuesday 24 December 2024 to Thursday 2 January 2025. The vital improvements and routine maintenance around Britain will give you a better and more reliable railway for the long term.
Most of the railway will stay open for business as usual. Please check before you travel by visiting National Rail Enquiries or your train operator’s website.
Follow #ChristmasRailWorks on X (formally known as Twitter) for updates.
Check before you travel
What do our planned engineering works involve?
Some of our projects include
HS2 work at Old Oak Common
This work means no services will call at London Paddington between Friday 27th December and Sunday 29th December. Some services will instead be diverted to/from London Euston, with the majority of trains starting/stopping at Reading and Ealing Broadway. Passengers for London can change at Ealing Broadway and take a Transport for London service into the city, using either the District or Central lines.. Find out more about our work at Old Oak Common Station.
Resignalling work in the Crewe area
There will be significant changes to services in the Crewe area between Wednesday 25th December and Thursday 2nd January as resignalling work takes place. Changes to services will differ during this period. No trains will pass through Crewe on Friday 27th December and there will be no direct service to Liverpool and a reduced service to Manchester from Saturday 28th December until Friday 3rd January.
Agar Grove bridge replacement
The reconstruction of Agar Grove railway bridge and upgrade of overhead electrical lines in Camden will mean no direct train services from Luton and Harpenden to London between Saturday 21st and Sunday 29th December. This work will improve reliability and enable trains to travel faster on this section of the line. Rail replacement services will be in operation between Harpenden and London St. Pancras. Replacement buses will also be in place between Bedford and Milton Keynes, enabling you to travel via London Euston. Find out more here.
Track upgrade work in the Woking area
There will be significant disruption to services in the Woking area on Sunday 15th December and from Monday 23rd December till Sunday 5th January while we complete essential rail upgrades at Brookwood, between Farnborough and Woking. Changes to services will differ during the festive period, with rail replacement bus services in operation from different locations. Find out more here via the dedicated South Western Railway webpage.