Major UK train stations will be closing over the festive period for engineering works, forcing travellers to find alternative routes at the busiest time of the year
Major UK train stations will close for several days over the Christmas period forcing travellers to seek alternative routes home.
Train stations Paddington and Liverpool Street will be closing for several days over the Christmas period, forcing holidaymakers to head away for the festive period via other routes.
Paddington train station, in London, will be closing for five days from December 25 to December 29 inclusive and the UK’s busiest train station, Liverpool Street, will have no trains running from it from December 25 to January 2.
Services which usually run to Paddington, will terminate at either Reading or Ealing Broadway stations between December 27 and 29 due to work on HS2’s new Old Oak Common station. Some trains will run to and from Euston instead, however, disruption is also anticipated at Euston due to engineering works.
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In addition, no Heathrow Express trains will run to and from Paddington between December 25 and 29. Work at Bishopsgate tunnel and on Liverpool Street station itself, means that services such as the Stansted Express will be diverted to Stratford, while London Overground services will terminate at London Fields.
For nine days from December 21 to 29, there will also be disruptions to the Thameslink services, with no trains running between Harpenden and London stations. Between December 22 and 29, there will also be no train services between Bedford and London.
Trains tend to not run on Christmas Day and Boxing Day anyway, but the additional disruption means individuals will need to plan their travels ahead of the festive period. According to Trainline’s website, on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, “train services run as usual but may end a bit earlier” and on New Year’s Day, “train services run as usual but may start a bit later than usual”.
For those who want to check their route or find an alternative, Trainline has a handy website page which shows all the festive disruptions across the country and breaks down the disruptions by different train operators.
For those who need to travel on Christmas Day, Trainline is advising to book a National Express coach — 31 coaches will be operating on December 25. Throughout the period of disruptions, engineers will be working to renew 45 sets of points, replacing four bridges, installing 40km of new signalling cables, renewing 17 level crossings and undertaking seven signalling commissions.
Works will also be completed on drainage issues, to stop problems caused by heavy rain. According to National Rail’s website, travellers are advised to: “Plan and check your journey before you travel using the National Rail Journey Planner. Important information will show with a warning triangle as Service updates on your journey results.”