Network Rail has announced that during Christmas and the New Year, there will be severe disruption to train services in south London and East Sussex.

To minimise the length of disruption, engineers will work around the clock; the work has been scheduled for the festive period as it is usually the quietest time of year on the railway.

Summary of changes:

• Christmas Day – no trains.
• Boxing Day – a limited service will run on some Southern routes.
• From Saturday 27 December to Wednesday 31 December 2025. – There will be no Thameslink trains between London Blackfriars and Bellingham, and London Blackfriars and Sutton via Mitcham Junction or Wimbledon. Rail replacement buses will provide alternative travel between London Bridge and Bromley South via Bellingham. Rail tickets will be accepted for travel on local London Bus, Tram and Underground services.
• From Saturday, 27th December 2025 until Sunday, 4th January 2026 – no Southern trains will call at South Bermondsey; passengers should use local London bus services instead. The closure is necessary as the station platforms are being rebuilt.
• From Thursday, 1st January to Sunday, 4th January 2026 – there will be no trains between London Bridge and Tulse Hill via South Bermondsey and Peckham Rye, with rail replacement buses running instead.
• On Friday, 2nd and Saturday, 3rd January – train services to Beckenham Junction will only run between Tulse Hill and Beckenham Junction.
• On Sunday, 4th January
  • There will be no trains between Purley and East Grinstead and between Oxted and Uckfield, with rail replacement buses providing an alternative service.
  • Train services between London Victoria and Reigate will only operate between Redhill and Reigate.
  • There will be Thameslink trains between London Blackfriars and Sutton / Wimbledon.

During the Christmas period, services elsewhere on the UK railway network will also be affected, including  an 11-day closure of the southern part of the West Coast mainline and the replacement of roof panels at London Liverpool Street station.

“The festive period gives us a rare chance to make the most of lower passenger numbers to carry out vital work on the railway. The areas of track and infrastructure being worked on this Christmas are normally some of the busiest sections of railway in the country, so we will make the most of this window of opportunity to work while the railway is closed, as we aim to give passengers safer and more reliable journeys. I would like to thank passengers for their patience while these works are carried out and I would also like to thank our teams, who will be working hard throughout the festive period to deliver these railway improvements.”

Lucy McAuliffe, Sussex route director, Network Rail Southern Region