Paddington and Birmingham stations to close for Christmas engineering works

Passengers travelling to and from London Paddington and Birmingham New Street face significant disruption this Christmas as both major stations will close for engineering works. Network Rail is undertaking approximately £152 million of upgrades across Great Britain during the festive period, aiming to improve reliability and capacity on the railway network.

Paddington station closures

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London rail network faces Christmas and New Year closures

Network Rail plans £152 million in engineering works affecting major stations and lines across the capital.

London Paddington station will be closed for five days over the Christmas period. This closure will affect intercity train services heading to the west of England and Wales. Most Great Western Railway services are expected to start and terminate at Reading. Some services may be diverted to London Euston via Oxford. The work also means that Elizabeth line services west of Paddington and Heathrow Express services will not resume until 31 January. The engineering works are focused on lines leading into Paddington, including the replacement of a junction near Slough.

Birmingham New Street disruption

Birmingham New Street, the UK's busiest station outside the capital, will be closed from the start of Christmas Eve until 29 December. This closure is to allow for the replacement of overhead power supplies. No trains will stop at or pass through the station during this period. Rail replacement buses will serve the Birmingham city centre.

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Elizabeth line faces Christmas and New Year closures

Engineering works will disrupt services between Stratford and Romford from December 27, 2026, to January 3, 2027.

Further network impact

The Great Eastern mainline out of London Liverpool Street will be closed for 10 days from Christmas Day for track replacement in east London. This will suspend Greater Anglia and Elizabeth line services through the affected area, meaning no direct trains will run from Norwich to London. TransPennine services between Leeds and Manchester will experience slower journeys for six weeks from Christmas Day due to the closure of Huddersfield station.

Network Rail's group director for system operation, Anit Chandarana, acknowledged the disruption. "We are sorry that some passengers will face disruption," Chandarana said. "The days between Christmas and new year are by far the quietest of the year and give us the best opportunity to complete major projects such as the power supply upgrades at Birmingham and Paddington."

Network Rail stated that most routes will remain open and that train operators have been consulted to keep services running where possible, providing alternative options where routes are affected. Passengers are advised to check their travel plans before setting off.