Train services to and from London Waterloo will undergo significant changes between Saturday 27 December 2025 and Sunday 4 January 2026 as major engineering work takes place near Queenstown Road. Network Rail says the programme is essential to improving safety, resilience and performance on one of Britain’s busiest stretches of railway.

Across the nine-day window, more than 350 engineers will renew track, switches, crossings and sections of conductor rail between Queenstown Road and Nine Elms junction. The work also includes adjusting platforms at Queenstown Road station to align with the new layout, laying fresh ballast and sleepers to reinforce the route’s foundations, and upgrading the electrical infrastructure to support more reliable power delivery.

The temporary service changes are wide-ranging. As usual, no trains will operate on Christmas Day or Boxing Day. Between 27 and 28 December, London Waterloo will be closed to all services, with trains terminating at Clapham Junction instead. From 29 December through to 4 January, reduced timetables will apply, with schedules available from 3 October. Queenstown Road station will close for the full duration of the work, while Vauxhall station will shut from 27 to 30 December and again on 1 January. Trains will continue to call there on New Year’s Eve and from 2 January onward. Ticket acceptance will be in place on alternative routes, with details published through National Rail Enquiries and South Western Railway.

Speaking on behalf of Network Rail and South Western Railway, George Murrell, Route Renewals Director, said:

“We are advising passengers to plan ahead and use alternative routes into the capital between Christmas and New Year. We are sorry for the disruption this closure between London Waterloo and Clapham Junction will cause however these works will provide a more reliable journey for everyone who travels on one of the country’s busiest railways.”

Image: Network Rail