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. Among the improvements taking place after Christmas Day and into the New Year include a bridge replacement over the M6 – closing the West Coast Main Line between Preston and Carlisle as well as the road – and work on the lines between Leeds and York, around Cambridge, London Victoria and London Waterloo too.
The majority of work will take place from Wednesday 24 December 2025, with some works continuing until late January 2026. The vital improvements and routine maintenance around Britain will give you a better and more reliable railway for the long term.
These works follow the introduction of the biggest timetable change on the East Coast Main Line (ECML) in more than a decade. Whilst the vast majority of services will commence in December, a small number of services will be introduced in a phased way. This will help with the smooth introduction of the new timetable as well as manage the delivery of major works during December and January 2026.
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
- Replacing a junction at Hanslope on the West Coast Main Line means no trains between Milton Keynes and Rugby between Christmas Day and 5 January.
- Replacing a 1960s bridge over the M6 motorway means no trains between Preston and Carlisle, 31 December- 15 January
- Installing new signalling at Kingmoor, just north of Carlisle means no trains between Carlisle and Lockerbie from 1 January and 7 January
- Improvements by the Transpennine Route Upgrade around Church Fenton, Yorkshire, including signalling, track and power supply, means no trains between Leeds and York between Christmas Day and 26 January.
- Commissioning and testing a new signalling system to improve reliability and safety means no trains between Cambridge North, Cambridge, Bury St Edmunds and Stansted Airport from Christmas Day until 5 January.
- Engineering work within Bishopsgate tunnel and work to refurbish the roof of London Liverpool Street station means no trains between Stratford and Liverpool St from Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
- Renewal of worn out track and points around Queenstown Road, London, means no trains to or from Waterloo from Christmas Day until 28 December ,and a very limited service to Waterloo until 4 January.
- The installation of a new railway bridge at Bowling in West Dunbartonshire means no trains between Dalmuir and Balloch/Helensburgh Central, or between Glasgow Queen Street and Crianlarich, 24 December – 2 January.