Christmas rail works to bring limited disruption across West Midlands and Chiltern routes

Most rail services across the West Midlands and along the Chiltern main line are expected to operate as usual over the Christmas period, although travellers are being urged to check their journeys in advance as engineering work will bring some changes.

Planned maintenance and HS2 construction activity will take place across the network during Christmas and the New Year. While disruption within the West Midlands and Chiltern areas will be limited, work in other regions is set to affect some longer-distance services starting or ending in the West Midlands. This could also place additional pressure on routes such as London Marylebone to Birmingham Moor Street, where trains may be busier than normal.

West Midlands Railway has confirmed a number of service alterations during the holiday period. On 28 December, rail replacement buses will operate between Worcester and Kidderminster or Bromsgrove until mid-afternoon. Further disruption is planned overnight on New Year’s Eve, with buses replacing trains between Birmingham and Lichfield Trent Valley or Tame Bridge Parkway from 10pm on 31 December until 10am on 1 January 2026.

HS2 works will also lead to temporary closures and diversions on routes serving London and Birmingham. Chiltern Railways services between London Marylebone and Aylesbury Vale Parkway will be suspended from 25 to 29 December while construction continues on the Small Dean Viaduct, with buses running between Amersham and Aylesbury. Meanwhile, from 23 to 29 December, CrossCountry services between Water Orton and Coleshill Parkway will be disrupted as engineers install sections of the new Water Orton Viaducts, with replacement buses running into Birmingham New Street.

More extensive disruption is expected on parts of the West Coast Main Line. A £26 million upgrade at Hanslope Junction, near Milton Keynes, will begin on Christmas Eve and continue until the morning of 5 January. The project includes replacing track, strengthening foundations and renewing points and crossings to improve long-term reliability on one of the country’s busiest rail corridors.

During this period, services to and from London Euston will be affected, potentially pushing more passengers onto alternative routes, including Chiltern Railways services between Marylebone and Birmingham Moor Street.

Elsewhere, rail users in Cumbria will face a longer interruption. No trains will operate on the West Coast Main Line between Oxenholme and Carlisle from 1 January until 14 January 2026 while a £60 million bridge carrying the railway over the M6 near Penrith is replaced.

Denise Wetton, director for Network Rail Central route, said:

“Christmas and New Year are generally quieter times for rail travel, which allows us to carry out essential work and upgrades which will affect fewer passengers than if completed at other times of the year. Trains will continue to run across the majority of the West Midlands and Chiltern areas this year, with just a small number of routes affected. However, work elsewhere will affect long distance journeys and could mean certain services may be busier than normal. As always, make sure you plan your journey and check before you travel for the latest information.”

Image: Network Rail