Travelling by rail over Christmas? Southern announce service alterations

Rail passengers looking to travel over the Christmas and New Year period are being advised to plan ahead as engineering work and service alterations will mean a large amount of change.
Plan ahead for the Christmas holiday periodPlan ahead for the Christmas holiday period
Plan ahead for the Christmas holiday period

The changes will be to services between 23 December 2017 and 1 January 2018.

Overview of service alterations

Christmas Day and Boxing Day:

No train service on Gatwick Express, Southern or Thameslink on Monday 25 or Tuesday 26 December. On 26 December, a limited Gatwick Express bus service will operate between London Victoria and Gatwick Airport only. Allow extra time for your journey and seek alternative routes if possible. Queuing systems will be in place at both London Victoria and Gatwick Airport and you may not be able to board the first bus.

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No service at Redhill: From Saturday 23 December to Monday 1 January inclusive, there will be no train service at Coulsdon South, Merstham, Redhill, Reigate, Earlswood, or at stations between Redhill and Tonbridge. Buses will serve these stations and journey times considerably extended. Services between London, Gatwick and the coast will continue to operate, but to a reduced frequency. Great Western Railway services will continue to operate between Reigate and Reading, but buses will replace trains between Reigate and Gatwick Airport.

No Thameslink cross-London services: From Saturday 23 December to Monday 1 January inclusive, there will be no Thameslink cross London service. Use the tube and London buses to complete your journey. Full details of these alterations are available on the Thameslink websiteSouthampton: From Saturday 23 December to Monday 1 January inclusive, Southern services to/from Southampton Central will be diverted to Portsmouth & Southsea. Customers for stations between Cosham and Southampton should change at Fratton and use Great Western Railway and South Western Railway services to complete their journey. Buses will replace all trains between Woolston and Southampton Central, but rail connections will be available via Eastleigh. Between 09:00 and 19:00 on the working days (Wednesday 27 to Friday 29 December) a limited Southern train service will operate to/from Fareham and Woolston

London Bridge: From Saturday 23 December to Monday 1 January inclusive, there will be significant alterations to Southeastern services with many London stations not served by their trains. Full details will be available on the Southeastern website. Southern and Thameslink services to and from London Bridge and London Blackfriars will be busier. There will also be no Southern or Thameslink service to or from London Bridge from start of service until approximately 11am on Saturday 23 December.

Christmas Eve:

Services will shut down early from approximately 20:00 on Sunday 24 December. Check your last trains carefully before you travel.

New Year’s Day:

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Services will operate in the early hours of the morning of Monday 1 January on the following Southern and Thameslink routes:

London Bridge and Sutton via Mitcham Junction

London St Pancras International and St Albans

London Bridge and Three Bridges via Gatwick Airport

London Victoria and East Croydon via Selhurst

For the remainder of the day a Sunday service will operate.