Saturday 19 December 2026 - Sunday 3 January 2027
Over the Christmas and New Year period, the railway network will be much busier than usual.
Services may finish earlier and the last train home may be extremely busy. We strongly advise that you allow extra time for your journey, plan ahead and check your entire journey before you travel using our Service Updates page. We also advise that you check any parts of your journey that you plan to take with other operators.
Short-term updates with the latest information will be shared on our Travel Information page.
Additionally, we remind you to be respectful and kind to our rail colleagues, and to always ensure ease of travel and safety on the railway.
Engineering work affecting CrossCountry
There will be no engineering work affecting CrossCountry services on Saturday 20 – Sunday 21 December.
Our Christmas travel map can be downloaded here [PDF]. For further information, please see the summary table below.
| Dates | Station | Summary | |
| A | Wednesday 24 December 2025 Saturday 27 December - Sunday 28 December 2025 | Coleshill Parkway | Rail replacement road transport will operate between Birmingham New Street, Water Orton and Coleshill Parkway. |
| B | Saturday 27 December 2025 – Friday 2 January 2026 | Leeds | Most trains will not call at Wakefield Westgate and Leeds. Alternative rail services will run between Leeds and York. |
| C | Saturday 27 December 2025 – Friday 2 January 2026 | Stansted Airport | Rail replacement road transport will operate between Ely and Stansted Airport. |
| D | Thursday 1 January 2026 | Haymarket | There will be no CrossCountry services operating north or west of Edinburgh Waverley. |
Birmingham New Street closed from Thursday 24 to Monday 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. For more information, please visit our dedicated page here.
Stay Updated on Your Journey
If you have a pre-booked ticket, you can receive real-time updates on the status of your train. Sign up for journey alerts and get notifications about delays, cancellations and platform changes delivered directly to you via email, SMS, or WhatsApp.
This service is provided through National Rail Enquiries, and more information can be found on their website.
Travel Summary
- Plan ahead and check your entire journey before you travel.
- Services on New Year's Eve will finish earlier than usual.
- The last train home may be extremely busy, we advise allowing additional time for your journey.
- Further information on Passenger Assist, engineering work and luggage restrictions can be found below.
- For the most up to date travel information, see our Service Updates page below.
During the festive season the railway network gets busier with office parties, Christmas shopping and a visit to the Christmas markets. You can expect to see a highly visible police presence across the rail network. With emphasis on Fridays and Saturdays, the British Transport Police will be visible on board trains and at stations dedicated to keeping you safe. We also remind you to be respectful to rail colleagues.
The last train to your station may be extremely busy, so please consider travelling on an earlier service and we do advise that you allow extra time for your journey for a more comfortable journey back home.
Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, from all of us at CrossCountry.
Off-Peak ticket restrictions
To support you when travelling during the festive period, we have removed all Off-Peak ticket restrictions from Monday 21 December to Friday 1 January inclusive. This means that if you have an Off-Peak ticket, you can travel at any time during this period.
Learn more about the latest major engineering work before you travel.
If you need extra assistance to help you with your journey, we offer our Passenger Assist service.
Customer Information Pledges
We've been working with our industry partners to keep you better informed when things go wrong.
