UK’s busiest station will shut for a WEEK over Xmas triggering torment for millions

BRITS heading home for Christmas are being cautioned to brace for weeks of rail mayhem

Commuters and holidaymakers will deal with more than a fortnight of interruption from Christmas Day through to the New Year, with significant stations all captured in the crossfire of an engineering shutdown.

the UK’s busiest train station will be shut for a week from Christmas Day, though Elizabeth line services will continue to run.

Which stations will be affected?

Liverpool Street will shut, without any Greater Anglia trains going to or from Stratford in between December 25 and January 2.

That suggests countless travelers heading in from Essex and East Anglia might be left rushing for options.

The Network Rail published to its site: “London Liverpool Street station  will be closed for 8 days from Christmas Day 25 December 2024 to New Year’s Day Wednesday 1 January 2025.

“ This is so our groups can securely and effectively perform operate in and around the station.“

It appears the Elizabeth Line, which runs below Liverpool Street, will still run as typical, providing some relief for stranded tourists.

Nevertheless, the Elizabeth line will not be running services on Christmas Day, Friday 26 December, and Boxing Day, Saturday 27 December.

National Rail hasn’t yet released complete information for the Elizabeth Line in between 22 December and 2 January, stating: “Information of any engineering work and/or service modifications will be released here when revealed.”

The interruption comes as engineers perform upgrades inside Bishopsgate Tunnel and offer the station roofing system a much-needed spruce-up.

Over at Waterloo, the country’s busiest station, trains will grind to a stop on December 27 and 28, with services ending at Clapham Junction.

Just a minimal schedule will run till the New Year while teams rip up old track and lay brand-new ballast and sleepers near Queenstown Roadway.

The mayhem does not stop there, Vauxhall Station will likewise shut in between December 27 and 30, and once again on New Year’s Day.

Network Rail states the work will improve the power supply to trains and reinforce the train’s structures, however travelers can anticipate lots of discomfort before the gain.

And if you’re heading north for Hogmanay, services in between London and Scotland are set for a problem couple of weeks as the West Coast Main Line partly closes for a massive 22 days.

The ₤ 60 million task consists of changing Clifton Bridge over the M6 near Penrith, requiring closures in between Preston and Carlisle from January 1 to 14.

The M6 itself will likewise be shut in between junctions 39 and 40 throughout the very first 2 weekends of January while the bridge is switched out.

Operator Avanti West Coast states it’ll run a makeshift shuttle bus every 2 hours utilizing the beautiful Settle to Carlisle path.

However with other areas of track in between Carlisle and Lockerbie likewise shut, the majority of journeys in between London and Scotland will be significantly interrupted.

More train mayhem

Contributing to the torment, there’ll be no trains in between Milton Keynes and Rugby from Christmas Day till January 5, while a junction at Hanslope gets changed.

Providers in between Cambridge, Bury St Edmunds and Stansted Airport will likewise be suspended over the exact same duration.

Regardless of the chaos, Network Rail firmly insists that 95% of the UK network will stay open, though travelers are being advised to prepare ahead.

Helen Hamlin, the rail operator’s primary network officer, informed travelers not to be captured off guard:

” The duration in between Christmas and New Year is the quietest on the train and it’s the very best time for us to do the significant tasks that will take longer than a night or a weekend to finish,” she informed The Standard.

” We deal with train operators to arrange diversions and rail replacement buses, however it’s still so crucial to prepare ahead.”

So if you’re taking a trip over the joyful season, inspect your path two times, load some perseverance, and perhaps keep that bottle of mulled white wine useful for the unavoidable replacement bus.