The company said its engineers will be working on about 400 projects over the festive period and into the New Year. However, it claimed that more than 95% of the rail network would be “open for business as normal”.
It said it planned engineering works for Christmas as the number of passengers travelling during the seven days between Christmas and New Year typically drops by 50-60% compared to a typical week in November or early December.
Helen Hamlin, director of system operations at Network Rail, said: “Whilst roads are busier during the holidays, it’s actually one of the quietest times on the railway, meaning we can improve things whilst causing less disruption to passengers and freight flows. The major projects we’re undertaking would otherwise take many weekends to complete and cause more disruption to passengers.
“Most of the railway will be open as normal over Christmas and New Year, so passengers can continue to book their travel, just be sure to plan ahead as there will be significant changes to journeys on some routes.”
Where are engineering works taking place?
Liverpool Street Station in London will be shut from Christmas Day until 2 January as renewal work is carried out at Bishopsgate Tunnel. Greater Anglia services, including the Stansted Express, will be diverted via Stratford. London Overground services will terminate at London Fields.
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In addition, no trains will stop at Paddington between 27 and 29 December due to preparatory work for HS2’s Old Oak Common station. This means Heathrow Express trains will not run between Paddington and the West London airport during this period.
Various engineering projects, including work to enable the introduction of East Midlands Railway’s (EMR’s) new trains, will take place on the Midland Main Line between 21 and 29 December, meaning passenger services will be severely disrupted. There will be no EMR services between London St Pancras and Bedford and Thameslink services will not run between London St Pancras and Harpenden.
There will be significant changes to services in the Crewe area between 25 December and 2 January as re-signalling work takes place. No trains will pass through Crewe on 27 December and there will be no direct service to Liverpool and a reduced service to Manchester from 28 December until 3 January.
Alex Robertson, chief executive at Transport Focus, said: “People understand that investment in maintenance and improvement is necessary. What’s important is that any engineering works are done in a way that considers the network as a whole and minimises the impact on passengers travelling over Christmas.
“Our research shows that passengers want to be kept on the train wherever possible, know before buying a ticket if part of the journey will be on a rail replacement bus, and for plenty of staff to be on hand to help. They also want to have a clear idea of what is happening with their journey, so clear and effective communication is essential at all times.”
