Disruptions & planned work

Engineering work is taking place at Birmingham New Street, closing all lines over the Christmas period. There will be no trains running, to, from, or through the station. This is a five day planned closure, with services resuming on Tuesday 29 December. Avanti West Coast: Trains will run to an amended timetable and will be unable to call at Birmingham New Street. Replacement buses will be provided between: Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton Birmingham New Street and Birmingham International CrossCountry: Trains will run between: Coleshill Parkway and Stansted Airport Nottingham and Cardiff Central Edinburgh and Plymouth Manchester Piccadilly and Bournemouth Replacement bus services (organised by CrossCountry) will run between: Coleshill Parkway, Water Orton and Birmingham New Street Worcestershire Parkway and Birmingham New Street Tamworth, Wilnecote and Birmingham New Street Birmingham International and Coleshill Parkway Birmingham International and Worcestershire Parkway Wolverhampton and Worcestershire Parkway Replacement bus services (organised by other operators) will run between: Birmingham International and Birmingham New Street (Avanti West Coast) Wolverhampton and Birmingham New Street (West Midlands Railway / Avanti West Coast) London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway: Train services between London Euston / Northampton and Birmingham New Street will run between London Euston / Northampton and Birmingham International only. Trains between Birmingham International and Rugeley Trent Valley will run between Wolverhampton and Rugeley Trent Valley (at reduced frequency), calling additionally at Willenhall and Darlaston and will not call at stations between Birmingham International - Birmingham New Street and Tame Bridge Parkway. Rail replacement buses will operate between Birmingham International and Birmingham New Street. Train services between Birmingham New Street and Crewe / Liverpool Lime Street will run between Wolverhampton and Crewe / Liverpool Lime Street only - to an amended timetable at reduced frequency. Passengers are advised to travel on other services between Wolverhampton and Sandwell & Dudley. Trains between Shrewsbury and Birmingham New Street will run between Shrewsbury and Sandwell & Dudley only - to an amended timetable at reduced frequency, calling additionally at Coseley and Tipton and will not call at Willenhall, Darlaston and Tame Bridge Parkway. Passengers travelling to / from Willenhall, Darlaston and Tame Bridge Parkway are advised to travel on other services. Train services between Wolverhampton and Walsall will run between Wolverhampton and Sandwell & Dudley only (at reduced frequency). Rail replacement buses will operate between Sandwell & Dudley and Smethwick Rolfe Street, via Smethwick Galton Bridge (for train services to Birmingham Snow Hill and Birmingham Moor Street) and between Birmingham New Street and Walsall. Trains between Birmingham New Street and Worcester Foregate Street / Great Malvern / Hereford will run to an amended timetable, will not call at University, Barnt Green or Bromsgrove and will be diverted to terminate at / start from Birmingham Snow Hill (instead of Birmingham New Street). Train services between Lichfield Trent Valley / Four Oaks and Bromsgrove / Redditch will not run. Rail replacement buses will operate between Lichfield Trent Valley and Birmingham New Street, between Birmingham New Street and Longbridge / Barnt Green / Bromsgrove / Droitwich Spa and between Longbridge / Barnt Green and Redditch. Trains between Birmingham New Street and Kings Norton (via Kings Heath) will not run and rail replacement buses will operate. Transport for Wales: No trains will run between Wolverhampton and Birmingham International. You can use your ticket at no extra cost on alternative services via Birmingham New Street to complete your journey. Check before you travel: You can plan your journey using the National Rail Journey Planner . Replacement bus travel advice: For helpful advice if you need to travel on a rail replacement service, including accessibility and bicycle information, please use our Rail Replacement Services page . You can find the pick-up and drop-off location of rail replacement services by checking station signage or by searching for your station on our Find a Station page . Please be advised that replacement vehicles may be busier than usual, and you should allow extra time for your journey.

From 24 Dec 2026, 00:00 · Until 28 Dec 2026, 23:59 · Source changed 15 Oct 2026, 10:32

Operators: Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, London Northwestern Railway, Transport for Wales, West Midlands Railway

Engineering work is taking place at Paddock Wood, closing all lines. Accessible replacement buses will run between: Tonbridge and Headcorn, calling at all stations Headcorn and Ashford International, calling at all stations Tonbridge and Maidstone West, calling at all stations Paddock W ood Line: Trains between London Charing Cross and Ramsgate / Dover Priory via Tonbridge will run hourly, and be diverted between London Bridge and Ashford International to run via Maidstone East, calling additionally at Otford (for connections to / from Sevenoaks) and Maidstone East. A portion of coaches will be detach / attach at Ashford International and run between Ashford International and Dover Priory. Additional trains will run between London Charing Cross and Tonbridge. Medway Valley Line: Trains between Paddock Wood and Strood will only run between Maidstone West and Strood. Check before you travel: You can plan your journey using the National Rail Journey Planner . Replacement bus travel advice: For helpful advice if you need to travel on a rail replacement service, including accessibility and bicycle information, please use our Rail Replacement Services page . You can find the pick-up and drop-off location of rail replacement services by checking station signage or by searching for your station on our Find a Station page . Please be advised that replacement vehicles may be busier than usual, and you should allow extra time for your journey.

From 20 Dec 2026, 00:00 · Until 20 Dec 2026, 23:59 · Source changed 15 Oct 2026, 10:05

Operators: Southeastern

Engineering work is taking place between Birmingham New Street and Smethwick Galton Bridge, closing all lines. Until approximately 16:20, the following amendments will take place: Avanti West Coast Trains that usually run between Wolverhampton and Birmingham New Street via Sandwell & Dudley will divert via an alternative route. This will significantly increase your journey time. Additionally, the following services will be amended to start from Wolverhampton: 07:48 London Euston to Edinburgh 08:45 Birmingham New Street to Preston 09:43 Liverpool Lime Street to London Euston CrossCountry Trains will not call at Wolverhampton and will divert via an alternative route. You may use your ticket on Avanti West Coast train services between Stafford, Wolverhampton and Birmingham New Street at no extra cost. Additionally, you may use a combination of London Northwestern Railway / West Midlands Railway train and bus services between Wolverhampton and Birmingham New Street, and then connect with a London Northwestern Railway train service between Wolverhampton and Stafford. All of these services are at no extra cost. London Northwestern Railway Trains between Birmingham New Street and Crewe will run between Wolverhampton and Crewe only. Trains between Birmingham New Street and Liverpool Lime Street will depart slightly earlier from Birmingham New Street. These services will divert and not call at Smethwick Galton Bridge. To help you complete your journey, rail replacement buses will run between Birmingham New Street and Sandwell & Dudley, calling at Smethwick Galton Bridge. West Midlands Railway Trains between Birmingham New Street and Shrewsbury will run between Sandwell & Dudley and Shrewsbury only. Trains between Rugeley Trent Valley / Walsall and Wolverhampton will run to an amended timetable and not call at Smethwick Rolfe Street or Smethwick Galton Bridge. Trains will continue to run between Sandwell & Dudley and Wolverhampton, and between Rugeley Trent Valley and Birmingham New Street. To help you complete your journey, rail replacement buses will run between Birmingham New Street and Sandwell & Dudley, calling at Smethwick Rolfe Street and Smethwick Galton Bridge. Transport for Wales We do not yet know how Transport for Wales will be affected by these engineering works. Check before you travel: If you're travelling with Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, London Northwestern Railway, and West Midlands Railway, you can plan your journey using the National Rail Journey Planner . Replacement bus travel advice: For helpful advice if you need to travel on a rail replacement service, including accessibility and bicycle information, please use our Rail Replacement Services page . You can find the pick-up and drop-off location of rail replacement services by checking station signage or by searching for your station on our Find a Station page . Please be advised that replacement vehicles may be busier than usual, and you should allow extra time for your journey.

From 3 Jan 2027, 00:00 · Until 3 Jan 2027, 23:59 · Source changed 13 Oct 2026, 15:13

Operators: Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, London Northwestern Railway, Transport for Wales, West Midlands Railway

Engineering work is taking place between Maidenhead and London Paddington, closing all lines. Background information on the work can be found below. No trains will be able to run between Maidenhead / Heathrow Airport and London Paddington all weekend. Elizabeth line: The only Elizabeth line trains that will operate throughout the weekend will be a limited service of 2 trains per hour between Reading and Maidenhead. There will be no Elizabeth line service between Maidenhead and Abbey Wood, or between Heathrow Airport and Shenfield, throughout the weekend. Replacement bus services will operate between: Maidenhead and Slough Slough and Ealing Broadway (to connect with London Underground services) Stratford and Romford, calling at all stations except Maryland Romford and Shenfield, calling at all stations. Buses will start from Newbury Park London Underground station (to connect with London Underground services) and then continue at Romford Between Ealing Broadway and Stratford - If you have a National Rail paper ticket or e-ticket, you can use your ticket at no extra cost on London Bus and London Underground routes. If you are using contactless payment / Oyster card, you can also use the above alternative travel options but you will be required to pay the normal tap in / tap out fares for your journey. Great Western Railway: No trains will run between Maidenhead and London Paddington in either direction. As a result, the following significant changes will be made to train services: High-speed services: Bristol area / South Wales - London Paddington: trains will either terminate at, and start back from Reading (see below), or will be diverted between Swindon and London (via an alternative route through Oxford and Milton Keynes Central), and will run to and from London Euston station - journey times will be extended. South-west England / the Hereford and Worcester area - London Paddington: trains will be amended to terminate at, and start back from Reading (see below). Cheltenham Spa - London Paddington: trains will be amended to terminate at, and start back from Swindon. Swindon - London Paddington: trains will be amended to terminate at, and start back from Reading (see below). Oxford - London Paddington: a very reduced train service will operate between Oxford and Reading only. Alternative services are available between Oxford and London Marylebone with Chiltern Railways. Oxford - Swindon / Bristol Temple Meads: trains will not run but additional trains will operate between Swindon, Chippenham, Bath Spa and Bristol Temple Meads. Newbury - Reading: trains will run to an amended timetable, and some trains will call additionally at Newbury Racecourse. How to travel between Reading and central London If your train terminates at, or starts from Reading, there will be a special fast direct Great Western Railway train service running each way between Reading and Guildford. These trains will connect with South Western Railway services between Guildford and London Waterloo. Please be aware that the South Western Railway trains on the route between Reading and London Waterloo are likely to be extremely busy or restricted due to a rugby event all weekend at Twickenham. Local services: Reading - London Paddington: trains will only operate between Reading, Twyford and Maidenhead Didcot Parkway - London Paddington: trains will only operate between Didcot Parkway, stations to / from Reading, Twyford and Maidenhead Maidenhead - Taplow - Burnham - Slough: a replacement bus service will operate for onward connections. Slough customers can travel via Windsor & Eton Central, then walk to Windsor & Eton Riverside for stations to / from London Waterloo Slough - Windsor & Eton Central: trains will operate normally except that last 2 trains each way will be replaced by road transport West Ealing - Greenford: trains will not run . You can use your ticket at no extra cost on London Buses and London Underground services Maidenhead - Marlow: trains will run normally Twyford - Henley-on-Thames: trains will run normally Night Riviera Sleeper services on Sunday night: 23:50 London Paddington to Penzance “Night Riviera” Sleeper service will be amended, and will start from London Euston at 23:15. 21:15 Penzance to London Paddington “Night Riviera” Sleeper Service will operate to London Paddington as normal. Heathrow Express: No trains will run between London Paddington and Heathrow Airport. Background information: Network Rail are replacing and enhancing the eastern side of Dolphin Junction, between Slough and Langley stations, to reduce rail traffic congestion and improve reliability for journeys through the Thames Valley into London. It follows an upgrade on the western side of the junction during Christmas 2025. Work is taking place to install new overhead electrification equipment. With a new track layout being installed, the position of existing masts and gantries that carry the overhead power lines needs to change, along with some of the signalling equipment. Points operating equipment is being updated to state of the art technology. Once complete, the new track layout will reduce congestion by allowing trains to enter the junction, change lines and exit at greater speed. Project information on the work taking place is available on the Network Rail website . Check before you travel: You can plan your journey using the National Rail Enquiries Journey Planner . You can plan your journey on London Underground / London Buses by using the Transport for London Journey Planner . Replacement bus travel advice: For helpful advice if you need to travel on a rail replacement service, including accessibility and bicycle information, please use our Rail Replacement Services page . You can find the pick-up and drop-off location of rail replacement services by checking station signage or by searching for your station on our Find a Station page . Please be advised that replacement vehicles may be busier than usual, and you should allow extra time for your journey.

From 28 Nov 2026, 00:00 · Until 29 Nov 2026, 23:59 · Source changed 8 Oct 2026, 09:21

Operators: Elizabeth line, Great Western Railway, Heathrow Express

Engineering work is taking place between Dartford and Maidstone West / Gillingham (Kent), closing lines. Southeastern: Highspeed via Gravesend: Trains between London St Pancras International and Ramsgate via Faversham will only run between London St Pancras International and Ebbsfleet International. Sidcup line: Trains between London Charing Cross and Gravesend will not run. Services which usually run between London Charing Cross and Dartford via Sidcup will run normally, so trains on the Sidcup line will run every 30 minutes. Medway Valley line: Trains between Paddock Wood and Strood will only run between Paddock Wood and Maidstone West. Accessible replacement buses will run between: Ebbsfleet International and Strood, calling at Gravesend only Dartford and Gillingham (Kent), calling at all stations except Higham Strood and Maidstone West, calling at all stations Gravesend and Strood (minibus service, calling at Higham*) *If you are travelling to or from Higham and have additional assistance requirements we recommend you contact the Southeastern accessible travel team , send #Assist to 07866 002960 on WhatsApp or use the help point at the station so Southeastern can ensure appropriate transport is available for you. The following stations will be closed all day and will only be served by replacement buses: Stone Crossing Greenhithe for Bluewater Swanscombe Northfleet Gravesend Higham Strood Cuxton Halling Snodland New Hythe Aylesford Maidstone Barracks Thameslink: No Thameslink trains will run between Dartford and Rainham. Your tickets will be accepted at no extra cost on Southeastern rail replacement buses between Dartford and Gillingham, and on Southeastern trains between Gillingham and Rainham. Check before you travel: You can plan your journey using the National Rail Journey Planner . Replacement bus travel advice: For helpful advice if you need to travel on a rail replacement service, including accessibility and bicycle information, please use our Rail Replacement Services page . You can find the pick-up and drop-off location of rail replacement services by checking station signage or by searching for your station on our Find a Station page . Please be advised that replacement vehicles may be busier than usual, and you should allow extra time for your journey.

From 1 Nov 2026, 00:00 · Until 1 Nov 2026, 23:59 · Source changed 6 Oct 2026, 13:08

Operators: Southeastern, Thameslink

Engineering work is taking place overnight between Smethwick Rolfe Street and Penkridge and between Penkridge and Stafford, closing some lines. The 23:22 Birmingham New Street to Rugeley Trent Valley service will terminate at Walsall. A rail replacement bus service will run from Walsall to Rugeley Trent Valley. Check before you travel: You can plan your journey using the National Rail Enquiries Journey Planner Replacement bus travel advice: For helpful advice if you need to travel on a rail replacement service, including accessibility and bicycle information, please use our Rail Replacement Services page . You can find the pick-up and set-down location of rail replacement services by checking station signage or by searching for your station on our Find a Station page . Please be advised that replacement vehicles may be busier than usual, and you should allow extra time for your journey.

From 19 Oct 2026, 00:00 · Until 22 Oct 2026, 23:59 · Source changed 9 Sept 2026, 10:45

Operators: West Midlands Railway

Engineering work is taking place between Smethwick Rolfe Street and Penkridge, closing some lines. The 23:22 Birmingham New Street to Rugeley Trent Valley service will terminate at Walsall. A rail replacement bus service will run from Walsall to Rugeley Trent Valley. Check before you travel: You can plan your journey using the National Rail Enquiries Journey Planner Replacement bus travel advice: For helpful advice if you need to travel on a rail replacement service, including accessibility and bicycle information, please use our Rail Replacement Services page . You can find the pick-up and set-down location of rail replacement services by checking station signage or by searching for your station on our Find a Station page . Please be advised that replacement vehicles may be busier than usual, and you should allow extra time for your journey.

From 30 Nov 2026, 00:00 · Until 3 Dec 2026, 00:00 · Source changed 7 Sept 2026, 13:46

Operators: West Midlands Railway