Rail disruption over the festive period
Engineering work will affect trains in and out of London from Berkshire and north Hampshire
Trains into and out of London Paddington and London Waterloo will be affected by engineering work directly after Christmas.
Trains to and from Paddington
The main piece of engineering work taking place on the Western route is the renewal of points at Dolphin Junction near Slough; a very busy junction which is used by 10-14 trains per hour and roughly 40 million tonnes of traffic each year.
From Saturday 27 December to Sunday 4 January, this work will affect some train services to/from London Paddington and trains will run to an amended timetable because only two out of four tracks will be available. As a result, some trains are expected to be busier than normal, and no direct services will run between London Paddington and Cheltenham Spa. Passengers can change at Swindon or Bristol Parkway.
As usual, no train services will operate on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
Marcus Jones, Network Rail’s Western route managing director, said:
“Far fewer people travel by rail between Christmas and New Year compared to a normal working week, which gives us a valuable opportunity to deliver major upgrades for passengers whilst causing as little disruption as possible.
“Trains will continue to run across the vast majority of the Western route over the festive period but some services will be affected by our engineering work, so please make sure to plan ahead through National Rail Enquiries or with your train operator.”
GWR’s Richard Rowland said:
“We’re working hard to keep everyone moving this Christmas and to help get you where you need to be.
“Please be aware though that services will be really busy immediately before Christmas, and we also have some engineering work taking place immediately after – so book ahead for the best value, and plan your journey accordingly.”
Andover/Basingstoke to Waterloo
SOUTH Western Railway (SWR) customers are advised to check before they travel over the Christmas and New Year period, due to seasonal changes and major engineering work between Clapham Junction and London Waterloo.
Whilst other SWR services on the network will resume, on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 December there will be no services between London Waterloo and Clapham Junction. An amended timetable will operate on all lines via Barnes and Wimbledon, with services starting and finishing their journeys at Clapham Junction.
On these days, customers travelling to and from the affected areas should consider:
Connecting with TfL services, using the District Line at Richmond and Wimbledon
Connecting with GWR services at Basingstoke, and travelling to Reading for onward services to London Paddington
Connecting with Southern services at Portsmouth, Epsom and Clapham Junction, for London Victoria
Travelling from Salisbury, Yeovil and Exeter to Westbury, for GWR services to London Paddington
On Monday 29 and Tuesday 30 December, all services that run through Barnes will start and finish their journeys at Clapham Junction. A reduced service will run on lines via Wimbledon, and Vauxhall and Queenstown Road (Battersea) will be closed.
On New Year’s Eve (Wednesday 31 December), an amended timetable will run, with all services that run via Barnes starting and finishing their journeys at Clapham Junction. There will also be some minor changes to services via Wimbledon.
Additional services will run from London Waterloo to Basingstoke, Guildford and Twickenham (via Kingston and Wimbledon) and between approximately 0100 and 0500, for customers returning from New Year’s Eve celebrations.
On Thursday 1 January, a reduced service will operate on all lines. All services that run via Barnes will start and finish their journeys at Clapham Junction.
Between Friday 2 and Sunday 4 January, journeys via Barnes will again start and finish at Clapham Junction, while services towards Woking and Reading will be affected by separate engineering work on Sunday 4 January.
Services are anticipated to be busy over the Christmas period, and customers travelling with luggage are advised to bring only what they can comfortably carry, while making use of all available onboard storage space.
Major changes
Stuart Meek, Chief Operating Officer of South Western Railway and Network Rail (Wessex) said:
“There will be major changes through to the new year, particularly for services to and from London Waterloo via Barnes, and on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 December, when there are no trains between London Waterloo and Clapham Junction.
“Tens of millions of customers travel on our lines between London Waterloo and Clapham Junction every year, and once this vital engineering work is complete, they can expect a more reliable railway and smoother journeys for years to come.
“There will be a limited number of additional services in the early hours of New Year’s Day to support customers heading home from the celebrations in London, but please only travel to the fireworks show on the South Bank if you have a ticket for the event.
“We’d like to wish all our customers a merry Christmas and a happy new year.”