Rail passengers face service disruption over Christmas

LONDONERS are being warned about major travel disruption over the Christmas and New Year holiday period with key trains cancelled.

Network Rail has planned essential engineering works from Friday December 23 to Tuesday January 3.

Most lines will remain open as usual, but some key trains from London stations will be cancelled.

Some of the most significant of these include no services from Liverpool Street Railway Station from December 25 to January 2, no Southern or Gatwick Express trains from Victoria Railway Station over the same dates, and a reduced timetable from Euston Railway Station to places like Manchester, Birmingham and Liverpool between December 24 and 30.

The £120million works will provide vital improvements and routine maintenance for a more reliable railway in the long-term, Network Rail said. The company carries out the work during holidays as fewer people usually travel by train.

The key disruption includes: No services will start or terminate at Liverpool Street from December 25 until January 2. Greater Anglia, Stansted Express and Cambridge trains will be affected;

Services to Manchester Piccadilly, Birmingham New Street, Liverpool Lime Street, Birmingham International, Blackpool North, Scotland and Glasgow Central will run to a reduced timetable from Euston from December 24 to 30;

There will be no Southern or Gatwick Express trains to or from London Victoria from December 25 to January 2. Most Southern trains will run to and from London Bridge instead, with replacement buses between Clapham Junction and East Croydon railway stations;

Cannon Street will be closed on Christmas Eve (December 24) and some services will start or terminate at London Bridge;

Lewisham Railway Station will also be closed on Christmas Eve and there will be no trains between New Cross, St Johns and Dartford via Bexleyheath;

Long-distance services from Euston on the West Coast mainline will run to a reduced timetable.

It is expected rail strikes will also impact services closer to the holiday period, with unions announcing further action on December 13 and 14 and 16 and 17. People are urged to check before they travel by visiting National Rail Enquiries or the rail operator’s website.

Network Rail is planning engineering works on a number of lines over the Christmas holiday period, which will affect services from a number of London railway stations