Do trains run on Christmas, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day? (2024)

Planning on travelling by train during this festive period? Whether you’re taking the rail cross country to spend time with family on Christmas, getting to and from the airport for a seasonal retreat, or planning a late return to celebrate the turn of the clocks to 2025 on New Year’s, keeping up to date with train availability can help keep your holidays as jolly as possible.

Below, we’ve broken down what you can expect regarding trains across this period, including Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, the intermittent period (27-31 December), and New Year’s Day, meaning you can get where you need to be.

Do trains run on Christmas Day?

No trains run on Christmas day in the UK. However, if you require transport on the day, a select few National Express coaches will be available.

Do trains run on Boxing Day?

The majority of trains do not run on Boxing Day, except for a few airport services, including the Stansted Express. We recommend checking for your required route using the Trip.com journey planner - though it is safe to assume that there will not be an available service. A limited amount of National Express coaches will be running on the day.

Do trains run on New Year’s Day?

Yes, most train services will be running New Year’s Day, though likely on an amended schedule. Often, first trains will depart slightly later in the day than expected, so please factor this into your schedule if you are planning to travel on the first day of 2025. We recommend checking your desired route using the Trip.com route planner.

Are trains running on Christmas Eve?

Yes, trains typically run on Christmas Eve. As it is not a bank holiday, most services aim to run as usual, especially since it’s one of the year's busiest days! However, you can expect the following differences if you’re planning on travelling on Christmas Eve:

Reduced services and early finishes on Christmas Eve

Train services usually operate on a reduced schedule, especially later in the day. Many trains stop running earlier than usual, often between 6 PM and 8 PM. Consider getting your travel done in the morning or afternoon to avoid disappointment!

These are the proposed times for each UK train company. Be sure to double-check who your provider is before purchasing tickets:

• Avanti West Coast: Services will finish around 4 pm
• c2c: Services will finish earlier than usual and stop running by approximately 11:30 pm.
• Caledonian Sleeper: No service available
• Chiltern Railways: Last northbound trains between 8:00 - 9:10 pm; last southbound trains between 8:15 - 8:45 pm.
• CrossCountry: ‘Train services will finish much earlier than normal.’
• East Midlands Railway: ‘Services will stop running earlier than on a normal weekday.’
• Elizabeth Line: ‘Normal service in the morning, and a Saturday service will run in the afternoon. Services will finish earlier than normal.’
• Gatwick Express: Reduced service from 5 pm, with a complete shutdown by 9 pm.
• Grand Central: Early finish with a select few lines cancelled (please check the status of your train).
• Great Northern: No services past 9 pm.
• Great Western Railway: Normal services until early shutdown at 8 pm.
• Greater Anglia: Reduced service from 9 pm, with a complete shutdown at 10:15 pm.
• Heathrow Express: Normal service.
• Hull Trains: Reduced service. The last southbound Hull Trains service will be 12:33 from Hull and the last northbound Hull Trains service will be 15:48 from London Kings Cross.
• Island Line: Normal service during the day, but trains and replacement buses will finish running earlier than normal.
• LNER: Early finishes on key lines between 4 - 9:30 pm. Please check your individual route.
• London Northwestern Railway: Reduced service from 7 pm with an early shutdown planned.
• London Overground: No services on any route after approximately 9:45 pm. Reduced service on the Windrush line from 7:30 pm.
• Lumo: Reduced services and a few stopped services. Please refer to your individual route.
• Merseyrail: No services past 8:30 pm.
• Northern: ‘From 18:00 onwards, trains on all Northern routes may be cancelled or terminated short, with most services withdrawn by 20:00.’
• Scotrail: Reduced service from 19:00. Final services around 21:30.
• South Western: Reduced service with various changes to routes. Please refer to your individual journey information.
• Southeastern: No services past 10:00 pm.
• Southern: Reduced service from 5 pm. No services past 9 pm.
• Stansted Express: The last train from Stansted Airport will be the 11:59 to London Liverpool Street.
• Thameslink: No services past 9 pm approximately.
• Transpennine Express: Reduced services from 8 pm with early shutdown planned.
• Transport for Wales: Running as usual except late night engineering work will be taking place between Manchester Piccadilly and Chester.
• West Midlands Railway: Amended schedule past 7 pm.

For Londoners, expect reduced services from 8 pm and total closures at around 10 pm for London Underground, Docklands Light Railway, Elizabeth line, London Overground and London trams.

National Rail has provided this very useful table for last trains from London to popular destinations across the UK:

Engineering work across Christmas and New Year’s

As with most festive periods, you can expect a series of extensive engineering and improvement projects to be taken in the downtime between Christmas and New Year. Below is a list of the major works being completed in 2024:

• Between London St Pancras International and Bedford: Saturday 21 to Sunday 29 December
• In the London Paddington area: Friday 27 to Sunday 29 December
• At London Liverpool Street: Friday 27 December to Wednesday 1 January
• In the Cambridge area: Friday 27 December to Sunday 5 January
• In the Crewe area: Friday 27 December to Thursday 2 January

For these specific lines, expect regular cancellations or amended schedules during this time period.

Be aware of busy trains

It’s no surprise that Christmas Eve is a popular time to travel, whether to see family or attend events. Because of this, you can expect most services to be busier than usual, which could of course lead to delays or cancellations. Although it’s not guaranteed for every route, consider booking tickets in advance and factoring additional travel time into your journey, such as arriving early, to be safe!