London Paddington and the railway through Forest Gate in east London will both be shut for ten days over Christmas and New Year as Network Rail carries out its festive engineering works, with major routes and stations across the capital facing closures or amended services into early January.
The works are backed by £152 million of investment aimed at reliability, capacity and long-term journey quality. Most services in England do not run on Christmas Day or Boxing Day in any case, but this year’s programme extends well beyond those two days, and passengers are being urged to check before they travel and to allow extra time.
National Rail’s festive travel guide covers Thursday 24 December 2026 to Monday 4 January 2027, and it is the place to check individual journeys before setting out.
Paddington closed to trains until 3 January
London Paddington will be closed to trains from Christmas Day to Sunday 3 January while track and overhead line upgrades are carried out, including major work at Dolphin Junction near Slough.
The closure affects the Elizabeth line to and from Paddington, Heathrow Express, and Great Western Railway services to the Thames Valley, the West of England and South Wales. The Elizabeth line and Heathrow Express return from New Year’s Eve, but Great Western Railway services do not resume until Monday 4 January.
While the work is under way, some Great Western services will terminate at Reading and others will be diverted to London Euston. The station itself remains open so passengers can still use its toilets and facilities.
Forest Gate shut for ten days
The railway through Forest Gate in east London will be shut for ten days, from Christmas Day to Sunday 3 January, while worn track on the approach to Liverpool Street is replaced.
The closure affects Greater Anglia services on the Great Eastern Main Line and Elizabeth line services in east London. No trains will run through the area until the early hours of Monday 4 January.
Barking track renewal hits c2c
Separately, c2c faces disruption from Sunday 27 to Tuesday 29 December, when track renewal work takes place at Barking. A rail replacement service will run between Upminster, Rainham, Purfleet and Grays.
The Barking work is separate from the longer-running disruption that followed the freight derailment there, which is covered in our earlier report on c2c disruption at Barking.
Redhill line closes from 20 December
The Redhill line closes even earlier, from Sunday 20 December to Sunday 3 January, for track and points replacement. More than a mile of track will be renewed as part of a wider £31.7 million programme across the southern region.
Fast-line services to Brighton and Gatwick will continue, but with alterations and longer journeys. Rail replacement buses will run between Reigate and the affected stations from Earlswood to Purley.
Stations with no train service during the closure are Earlswood, Redhill, Merstham, Coulsdon South, Nutfield and Godstone. Thameslink will run no trains between Purley and Horley via Redhill, and Southern services between Redhill and Tonbridge will run only between Edenbridge and Tonbridge.
Southeastern and Euston changes
Southeastern passengers face changes at the start of January: all three of its central London stations will have no Southeastern services during the first three days of January. Most trains will be diverted to London Victoria, with a limited service from London Bridge, and replacement buses will serve Hither Green, Grove Park, Lee and New Eltham.
London Euston does not close, but it will run a reduced service from Sunday 27 December to Sunday 3 January. Avanti West Coast will run a reduced timetable and London Northwestern Railway will run amended times, partly to accommodate the Great Western services diverted from Paddington. Passengers heading to the West Midlands, the North West and Scotland are advised to check their specific services.
What to check before you travel
The pattern across the capital is consistent: the longest closures run from Christmas Day to Sunday 3 January, with services resuming on Monday 4 January, but several routes are affected earlier or later than that window. The Redhill line closes from 20 December, c2c’s Barking disruption runs 27 to 29 December, and Southeastern’s central London changes fall in the first three days of January.
Airport passengers should take particular care: Heathrow Express and the Elizabeth line to Paddington both return from New Year’s Eve, so anyone flying over the Christmas weekend itself will need an alternative route to Heathrow. Long-distance passengers to the West of England, South Wales, the West Midlands, the North West and Scotland should check their specific trains, as timetables are amended rather than simply cancelled.
The Elizabeth line already faces a separate ten-day closure between Liverpool Street and Shenfield over the same festive period, which is covered in our report on the Elizabeth line Christmas closures. With both that closure and the Forest Gate shutdown in force at the same time, east London passengers in particular should check before travelling and allow extra time for every journey.
