How engineering works will affect trains to London this Christmas

This Christmas, Network Rail is carrying out the latest round of HS2 works including construction of the planned Old Oak Common station outside London Paddington.

Track maintenance designed to improve the punctuality and reliability of services in the Thames Valley area will be carried out simultaneously.

This means Great Western Railway won’t run services into or out of London Paddington from Friday 27 to Sunday, December 29 but alternative routes will be available.

Customers travelling between London and the Thames Valley can use Great Western Railway and Elizabeth line services between Ealing Broadway and Reading for onward connections.

Journeys will take around half an hour longer than the normal Great Western Railway service.

Saturday, December 21

A normal Elizabeth line and Great Western Railway service will operate.

Due to very early morning engineering work between Slough and Reading, the following trains will not call at Burnham or Taplow, but replacement buses will be available:

• 12.02am and 12.45am London Paddington to Reading services
• 12.19am Reading to London Paddington service

Sunday, December 22

Due to engineering work between London Paddington and Slough, a reduced Elizabeth line service will operate between London Paddington and Maidenhead.

Two trains an hour will serve Langley, Slough, Burnham and Maidenhead.

Great Western Railway services between London Paddington and Swindon will run reduced services, calling additionally at Slough, Maidenhead and Twyford.

Monday, December 23

A normal Great Western Railway and Elizabeth line service will operate.

Tuesday, December 24 - Christmas Eve

A normal Great Western Railway service will operate until the early closedown and train services will finish around 8pm on most Christmas Eve routes.

A normal Elizabeth line service will run in the morning, and a Saturday service will run in the afternoon, before finishing earlier than normal.

Wednesday, December 25 – Christmas Day

No Great Western Railway or Elizabeth line services will run.

Thursday, December 26 – Boxing Day

No Great Western Railway or Elizabeth line services will run.

Friday, December 27 to Sunday, December 29

Major engineering work between London Paddington and Ealing Broadway means no mainline train services at London Paddington.

Most routes will start later than normal.

Great Western Railway services will run between Ealing Broadway and Didcot Parkway.

Services will be unaffected between Slough and Windsor & Eton Central, Maidenhead and Marlow and Twyford and Henley-on-Thames.

No Elizabeth line services will run between London Paddington and Ealing Broadway.

A reduced service will run between Ealing Broadway and Maidenhead with train services calling at all interim stations.

Passengers should use the London Underground and London Bus services between London Paddington and Ealing Broadway to complete their journey.

Monday, December 30

The major engineering work taking place between London Paddington and Ealing Broadway from December 27 to 29 will continue until 4am on Monday morning.

Great Western Railway trains will continue to terminate at and start back from Ealing Broadway.

The London Bus Night Bus Service N11 operates every 30 minutes between Ealing Broadway and central London.

An Elizabeth line Saturday service will operate.

Tuesday, December 31 - New Year's Eve

An amended Great Western Railway service will operate on many routes during the day, with a gradual closedown of services on all routes from approximately 8pm on New Year's Eve.

An Elizabeth line Saturday service will operate during the day.

There will also be an overnight service from New Year's Eve into New Year's Day as follows:

• Two trains per hour from Abbey Wood to Reading (not stopping at Iver)
• Two trains per hour from Abbey Wood to Maidenhead (not stopping at Taplow)

Due to very early morning engineering work between Slough and Reading, the following trains will not call at Burnham or Taplow:

• 12.02am and 12.45am London Paddington to Reading services
• 12.19am Reading to London Paddington service

The 12.18am Henley-on-Thames to Reading service will terminate at Twyford and rail connections are available from Twyford to Reading.

Wednesday, January 1 2025 – New Years Day

An amended Great Western Railway service will operate on many routes.

An Elizabeth line Saturday service will operate.

Thursday, January 2 2025

A normal Elizabeth line service will run.

An amended Great Western Railway service will operate on many routes.

Due to very early morning engineering work between Slough and Reading, the following trains will not call at Burnham or Taplow:

• 12.02am and 12.45am London Paddington to Reading services
• 12.19am Reading to London Paddington service

The 12.18am Henley-on-Thames to Reading service will terminate at Twyford and rail connections are available from Twyford to Reading.