Plan ahead for Christmas travel
Customers planning travel with us over Christmas are advised to plan ahead, as major engineering work will affect services to and from Birmingham New Street.
Birmingham New Street closed from 24 to 28 December
No trains will be able to operate to or from Birmingham New Street from Thursday 24 December to Monday 28 December 2026, inclusive.
Network Rail will be carrying out major engineering work to upgrade the overhead power lines in and around Birmingham New Street station. The work will replace ageing infrastructure and help improve the long-term reliability of this important railway hub.
How will this affect CrossCountry services?
The closure will have a significant impact on CrossCountry journeys, as nearly all our services normally call at Birmingham New Street.
During the five-day closure:
- No CrossCountry trains will call at Birmingham New Street.
- Long-distance CrossCountry services will be diverted.
- Rail replacement buses will operate for journeys starting or ending at Birmingham New Street.
- Journey times and timetables will be different from normal.
If you're travelling over the Christmas period, please check your journey before you travel and allow extra time.
Please note no CrossCountry services will operate anywhere across Britain on Christmas Day (Friday 25 December) and Boxing Day (Saturday 26 December).
Services for Thursday 24, Sunday 27 and Monday 28 December are now open for booking.
Further information about affected services and alternative travel arrangements will be made available here soon.
More information can be found on the National Rail website.
