Transport for London (TfL) has confirmed its service schedules for the Christmas and New Year period, which will include some disruptions due to planned maintenance works. The rail minister confirmed that train services could also be disrupted due to shortage of staff around the Christmas period.
Parts of the Underground and Overground network will be on a reduced service because of the planned works, and mainline services from Paddington, St. Pancras and Liverpool Street are also affected. The longest closure this year will be the DLR between Bank and Shadwell, from December 21 to 30. However, services between Shadwell and Tower Gateway will still run normally.
Additionally, the Congestion Charge will be suspended from December 25 to January 1. The Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez), however, will remain in effect throughout this period, except for Christmas Day.
What stations are affected in London over Christmas?
London Liverpool Street
London Liverpool Street station will be closed from Christmas Day (December 25) to New Year’s Day (January 1) to facilitate essential engineering works. During this period, Greater Anglia services, including the Stansted Express, will terminate at Tottenham Hale. London Overground services will be diverted to terminate at London Fields. To complete their journeys, passengers are advised to use Victoria line services from Walthamstow Central and Seven Sisters or local bus services.
London Paddington
London Paddington station will be closed from December 27 to 29 due to preparatory work for the HS2 station at Old Oak Common. This closure will affect the Elizabeth Line and Heathrow Express, which will be unable to operate to Paddington. During this time, some Great Western Railway (GWR) services will be diverted to London Euston, while the majority will terminate at either Reading or Ealing Broadway.
St Pancras Station
From December 21 to 29, there will be significant service disruptions at London St Pancras Station. East Midlands Railway (EMR) services will operate between London St Pancras and Bedford. Thameslink train services will not run between London St Pancras and Harpenden.
When is the Underground, DLR, Overground and Elizabeth line running over Christmas and New Year?
London Underground
- Christmas Eve (December 24): Last trains will run from 8 PM, followed by reduced service levels.
- Christmas Day (December 25): No service.
- Boxing Day (December 26): Reduced Sunday service.
- December 27 to 31: Saturday service.
- New Year’s Day (January 1): Reduced Sunday service.
London Overground
- Christmas Eve (December 24): Last trains will run from 9:30 PM.
- Christmas Day (December 25): No service.
- Boxing Day (December 26):
- Reduced service on the Mildmay line between Clapham Junction and Stratford.
- Reduced service on the Windrush line between Highbury & Islington and West Croydon.
- No service on other London Overground lines
- December 27 to January 1:
- No service on the Weaver line between Liverpool Street and London Fields.
- Limited service between London Fields and Chingford, Enfield Town, and Cheshunt.
- New Year’s Eve (December 31):
- Overnight services will run on the Windrush line between Highbury & Islington and West Croydon/Crystal Palace.
- Overnight services will run on the Mildmay line between Stratford and Clapham Junction/Richmond.
- Overnight services will run on the Weaver line between London Fields and Chingford, Enfield Town, and Cheshunt.
Elizabeth Line
- Christmas Eve (December 24): Normal service in the morning, switching to a Saturday service in the afternoon.
- Christmas Day (December 25): No service.
- Boxing Day (December 26): No service.
- December 27 to January 1:
- Some early and late services will start/finish at Stratford instead of Liverpool Street station.
- No service between Paddington and Ealing Broadway from December 27 to 29. A reduced service will run between Ealing Broadway and Reading/Heathrow, and between Paddington and Shenfield/Abbey Wood.
- New Year’s Eve (December 31):
- A Saturday service will run.
- Services will run overnight, except to/from Heathrow.
- New Year’s Day (January 1): A Saturday service will run.
DLR
- December 21 to 30: No service between Bank and Shadwell.
- Christmas Eve (December 24): Services will finish early at 10:30 PM.
- Christmas Day (December 25): No service.
- Boxing Day to December 30: Services will start later at 8:30 AM, with a special service running throughout the day.
- New Year’s Eve (December 31):
- A Saturday service will run during the day.
- Services will be available throughout the night.
- New Year’s Day (January 1): A Saturday service will run.
Trams
December 25 – no trams are running on Christmas Day.
December 26 – a Sunday service will be running on the trams.
Taxis
December 24-27 – From 8pm on Christmas Eve until 6am on December 27, each cab journey will cost £4 extra. There may also be extra charges for private hire vehicles like Uber, Bolt, and Lyft – expect some hefty surge pricing!
Driving
Christmas Day (December 25) to New Years (January 1): The Congestion Charge will not operate.
Christmas Day (December 25): The Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) will not operate.
Cycling & E-Scooters
December 24-26 – The Santander hire bikes will be available as normal throughout the festive period. Time to work off that Christmas dinner! Meanwhile, e-scooters will be available in the London boroughs taking part in the private hire trial.
For more information, visit TfL’s website here.