South Western Railway urges passengers to plan for Christmas and New Year disruption
South Western Railway (SWR) is urging passengers to plan ahead over the Christmas and New Year period due to seasonal timetable changes and major engineering work on the line between Clapham Junction and London Waterloo.
Engineers will be upgrading track, switches, crossings, signalling systems, and electrical supplies, as well as improving platforms at Queenstown Road (Battersea). Once complete, these works are expected to reduce faults, improve reliability, and create smoother journeys for passengers.
On Christmas Eve, Wednesday 24 December, services will operate on an amended timetable, with trains finishing earlier than usual, around 22:00. Island Line services will conclude before 21:00. There will be no SWR services on Christmas Day (25 December) or Boxing Day (26 December).
Between Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 December, there will be no services between London Waterloo and Clapham Junction. Passengers travelling in the affected areas are advised to connect with alternative services, including TfL’s District Line at Richmond and Wimbledon, GWR services via Basingstoke to Reading, or Southern services towards London Victoria.
From Monday 29 December through New Year’s Day, services via Barnes will generally start and finish at Clapham Junction, with some stations, including Vauxhall and Queenstown Road (Battersea), temporarily closed. Additional services will operate to destinations such as Basingstoke, Guildford, and Twickenham on New Year’s Eve night for passengers returning from celebrations.
SWR warns that services are expected to be particularly busy during the holiday period. Passengers are advised to travel light, using available onboard storage efficiently, and to check journey times in advance using the SWR website and journey planner.
Stuart Meek, Chief Operating Officer of South Western Railway and Network Rail (Wessex), said:
“If you’re planning to travel with us over the Christmas period, please visit our website and use our journey planner to check your journey now. There will be major changes through to the new year, particularly for services to and from London Waterloo via Barnes, and on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 December, when there are no trains between London Waterloo and Clapham Junction. Tens of millions of customers travel on our lines between London Waterloo and Clapham Junction every year, and once this vital engineering work is complete, they can expect a more reliable railway and smoother journeys for years to come. There will be a limited number of additional services in the early hours of New Year’s Day to support customers heading home from the celebrations in London, but please only travel to the fireworks show on the South Bank if you have a ticket for the event. We’d like to wish all our customers a merry Christmas and a happy new year.”
Image: South Western Railway