Festive travel across London is set to face significant disruption this year, with a series of planned engineering works and service changes affecting the Tube, Overground, and mainline rail services from Christmas Eve through to the start of January 2026. Passengers are urged to plan their journeys well in advance to avoid being caught out by the widespread alterations.
Major Stations and Lines Affected
The scale of the disruption is considerable, with one of London's busiest rail hubs facing an extended shutdown. Liverpool Street Station will be completely closed from Thursday 25 December until Thursday 1 January 2026. This closure will cause knock-on effects for several connecting Tube lines and Overground services throughout the period.
Furthermore, a key section of the Piccadilly line will be out of action for upgrade works. There will be no Piccadilly line services between Rayners Lane and Uxbridge from Boxing Day right through until Friday 2 January. This will impact those travelling to and from Heathrow Airport via that branch.
Day-by-Day Service Changes and Closures
The disruption begins on Christmas Eve, Wednesday 24 December 2025. A reduced service will operate across the London Underground after 8pm, with no Elizabeth line services after 10.30pm. Overground lines, including the Lioness, Suffragette, and Windrush lines, will see reduced services from 7pm, with last trains departing between 9.15pm and 9.30pm. The DLR will finish service at 10.30pm.
As is traditional, no Transport for London services will run at all on Christmas Day, Thursday 25 December.
On Boxing Day, Friday 26 December, a reduced Tube service will start from 7am, but there will be no Night Tube or Elizabeth line services. Key closures include:
- No District line services to Kensington Olympia.
- No Metropolitan line services between Rickmansworth and Amersham/Chesham.
- No service on the Lioness, Suffragette, Weaver, and Liberty Overground lines.
- A special, limited service will operate on the Mildmay and Windrush Overground lines.
- DLR will run a special service from 8am, but with no trains between Tower Gateway and Shadwell.
The disruption continues through the weekend of Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 December, with the same core closures in place: no District line to Kensington Olympia, no Piccadilly between Rayners Lane and Uxbridge, no Mildmay line between Camden Road and Richmond or Shepherd's Bush, no Weaver line between Liverpool Street and London Fields, and no Elizabeth line between Liverpool Street and Stratford.
These closures remain for Monday 29 and Tuesday 30 December, with the additional suspension of Night Tube services on both evenings.
New Year's Eve and New Year's Day Travel
New Year's Eve, Wednesday 31 December, will see Tube services running all night, but with significant station closures and restrictions in central London to manage crowds. Key stations including Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus, and Westminster will close from late evening, with some becoming exit-only earlier in the night. The Elizabeth line, DLR, and Windrush line will also run overnight services, albeit with specific section closures.
On New Year's Day, Thursday 1 January 2026, a reduced Sunday service will operate on the Tube. There will be no Waterloo & City line service, and the previously mentioned line closures on the District, Piccadilly, Mildmay, Weaver, Windrush, and Elizabeth lines will persist.
The disruption finally begins to ease on Friday 2 January, though some closures remain, including the Piccadilly line section between Rayners Lane and Uxbridge and an additional closure between King's Cross St Pancras and Cockfosters.
Passengers are strongly advised to check the latest TfL and National Rail journey planners immediately before they travel, as details may be subject to last-minute change.
