Festive period 2024

Updated 13 Dec 2024

This festive period, amended timetables will be in place and major engineering works will affect some routes. If you are planning to travel throughout this period, we would advise checking your journey well in advance and leaving plenty of time to reach your destination.

Some major routes will be affected from Saturday 21 December until Sunday 5 January, with the greatest impact being on our Thameslink route between London and Bedford, and our Thameslink and Great Northern route between Royston and Cambridge North. . Rail replacement buses will be operating on some routes, but these will be limited, and we expect them to be extremely busy. Queuing systems will be in place, and you may not be able to board your chosen bus. A number of station car parks will have full or partial closures during this period to allow for the safe operation of replacement buses. Please check your local station for more information.

Services to and from airports on our network will be affected during this period. Fewer trains will be serving Gatwick Airport and Luton Airport Parkway, so please plan ahead if you are travelling to or from one of these airports over the festive period.

On Christmas Eve, 24 December, services will finish much earlier than usual on all routes. We expect last trains to be extremely busy, so please plan ahead and travel on an earlier service where possible. Details of last trains from some key stations can be found in the service guide below.

On Christmas Day, 25 December, no trains will run on any route.

On Boxing Day, 26 December, a limited Southern service will run between Brighton and London Victoria, as well as on some Southern Metro routes. Details of these services can be found in the service guide below. No Thameslink, Great Northern or Gatwick Express services will run on this day.

Below is a guide to the planned service impact on each day, along with maps showing the closures and where replacement buses will be operating. Journey planners are now up to date for the whole period.

Route maps of services

Route map for 21-24 December 2024 (PDF)

Route map for 27-29 December 2024 (PDF)

Route map for 30 December 2024 - 1 January 2025 (PDF)

Route map for 2-5 January 2025 (PDF)

Saturday 21 December

There are no train services between Harpenden and London.

The following changes will be made to Thameslink services:

Services between St Albans City and Sutton via Mitcham Junction will only run between London Blackfriars and Sutton via Wimbledon (2 trains per hour)
Services between Bedford/Luton and Three Bridges will not run. These services will run between London Bridge and Brighton (2 trains per hour)
Services to/from Rainham will only run between London Bridge and Rainham (1 train per hour)
Additional services will run between Bedford and Harpenden (4 trains per hour)

Rail replacement buses will run between:

Luton Airport Parkway and Hitchin
Harpenden, St Albans City and Potters Bar
London St Pancras and Harpenden

Customers travelling to/from Luton Airport Parkway should use the replacement bus service to/from Hitchin, connecting with train services to/from London.

Customers travelling between Bedford and London should use the EMR replacement bus service between Bedford and Milton Keynes Central, connecting with train services to/from London Euston. Ticket acceptance will be in place for both bus and train services on this route.

Other services will be running to amended timetables throughout the day.

Sunday 22 December

There are no train services between Harpenden and London.

The following changes will be made to Thameslink services:

Services between St Albans City and Sutton via Mitcham Junction will only run between London Blackfriars and Sutton via Wimbledon (2 trains per hour)
Services between Bedford and Three Bridges will only run between London St Pancras and Three Bridges (1 train per hour)
Services between Bedford and Brighton will only run between London St Pancras and Brighton (2 trains per hour)
Services between Cambridge and Brighton will only run between Cambridge and London Kings Cross (1 train per hour), and between London Bridge and Brighton (1 train per hour)
Services between Luton and Horsham will only run between London St Pancras and Horsham (1 train per hour)
Services between Luton and Rainham will only run between London Bridge and Rainham (1 train per hour)
Additional services will run between Bedford and Harpenden (4 trains per hour)

Rail replacement buses will run between:

Luton Airport Parkway and Hitchin
Harpenden, St Albans City and Potters Bar
London St Pancras and Harpenden

Customers travelling to/from Luton Airport Parkway should use the replacement bus service to/from Hitchin, connecting with train services to/from London.

Customers travelling between Bedford and London should use the EMR replacement bus service between Bedford and Milton Keynes Central, connecting with train services to/from London Euston. Ticket acceptance will be in place for both bus and train services on this route.

Other services will be running to amended timetables throughout the day.

Monday 23 December

There are no train services between Harpenden and London.

The following changes will be made to Thameslink services:

Services between Luton and Orpington will not run
Services between Bedford and East Grinstead will not run
Services between St Albans City and Sutton via Mitcham Junction will only run between London Blackfriars and Sutton via Wimbledon (2 trains per hour)
Services between Bedford and Three Bridges/Brighton will only run between London Bridge and Brighton (2 trains per hour)
Additional services will run between Bedford and Harpenden (4 trains per hour)

Rail replacement buses will run between:

Luton Airport Parkway and Hitchin
Harpenden, St Albans City and Potters Bar
London St Pancras and Harpenden

Tuesday 24 December

Christmas Eve – services will finish much earlier on all routes. We expect last trains to be extremely busy, so please plan ahead and travel on an earlier service where possible.

Last trains from some key locations are as follows:

London Victoria (to Streatham Hill) – departs 20:21
London Bridge (to Three Bridges) – departs 20:45
London St Pancras (train service to Finsbury Park) – departs 20:17
London St Pancras (rail replacement bus service to Harpenden) – departs 20:57 (please note, there will be no onward train service from Harpenden – a bus will depart Harpenden at 2330 calling at Luton Airport Parkway and Luton only)
London King’s Cross (to Cambridge) – departs 20:09
Bedford (to Luton Airport Parkway & Harpenden) – departs 19:51
Peterborough (to Stevenage) – departs 19:54
Cambridge (to King’s Lynn) – departs 20:05
East Croydon (to Three Bridges) – departs 20:59
Gatwick Airport (to Three Bridges) – departs 21:14
Three Bridges (to Horsham) – 20:44
Brighton (to Littlehampton) – departs 20:15

Other last services will depart at earlier times, so please check journey planners for details.

Engineering work:

There are no train services between Harpenden and London.

The following changes will be made to Thameslink services:

Services between Luton and Orpington will not run
Services between Bedford and East Grinstead will not run
Services between St Albans City and Sutton via Mitcham Junction will only run between London Blackfriars and Sutton via Wimbledon (2 trains per hour)
Services between Bedford and Three Bridges/Brighton will only run between London Bridge and Brighton (2 trains per hour)
Additional services will run between Bedford and Harpenden (4 trains per hour)

Rail replacement buses will run between:

Luton Airport Parkway and Hitchin
Harpenden, St Albans City and Potters Bar
London St Pancras and Harpenden

Customers travelling to/from Luton Airport Parkway should use the replacement bus service to/from Hitchin, connecting with train services to/from London.

Other services will be running to amended timetables throughout the day.

Wednesday 25 December

Thursday 26 December

Boxing Day – A limited Southern service will run between London Victoria and Brighton, and across some Southern Metro routes. No Thameslink, Great Northern or Gatwick Express services will be running.

Services that will run are as follows:

Between London Victoria and Brighton, calling at London Victoria, Clapham Junction, East Croydon, Gatwick Airport, Three Bridges, Haywards Heath and Brighton only (1 train per hour)
Between London Victoria and Three Bridges, calling at London Victoria, Clapham Junction, East Croydon, Gatwick Airport and Three Bridges only (1 train per hour)
Between London Victoria and Sutton (2 trains per hour)
Between London Victoria and East Croydon via Crystal Palace (2 trains per hour)

Friday 27 December

There are no train services between Harpenden and London, or Cambridge North and Royston.

The following changes will be made to Thameslink and Great Northern services:

Services between St Albans City and Sutton via Mitcham Junction/Wimbledon will not run
Services between Bedford/Luton and Three Bridges will not run
Services between Peterborough and Horsham will only run:
- between Peterborough and London Kings Cross (2 trains per hour)
- between London Bridge and Horsham (2 trains per hour – calling additionally at Norwood Junction, Purley, Earlswood and Salfords)
Services between Bedford and Brighton will only run between London Bridge and Brighton (2 trains per hour)
Services between Cambridge and Brighton will only run:
- between Royston and London Kings Cross (1 train per hour)
- between London Bridge and Brighton (2 trains per hour)
Services between Kings Lynn and London Kings Cross will only run:
- between Kings Lynn and Cambridge North (1 train per hour)
- between Royston and London Kings Cross (1 train per hour – calling additionally at Hitchin)
Services between Luton and Rainham will only run between London Bridge and Rainham (1 train per hour)
Services between London Blackfriars and Sevenoaks will run between London Victoria and Sevenoaks (1 train per hour)
Additional services will run between Bedford and Harpenden (4 trains per hour)

Rail replacement buses will run between:

Luton Airport Parkway and Hitchin
Harpenden, St Albans City and Potters Bar
London St Pancras and Harpenden (all stations)
Royston and Cambridge (all stations)
Royston and Cambridge (fast)
Royston and Cambridge North (fast)
Cambridge and Cambridge North

Customers travelling to/from Luton Airport Parkway should use the replacement bus service to/from Hitchin, connecting with train services to/from London.

Customers travelling between Bedford and London should use the EMR replacement bus service between Bedford and Milton Keynes Central, connecting with train services to/from London Euston.

Ticket acceptance will be in place for both bus and train services on this route.

Other services will be running to amended timetables throughout the day.

Saturday 28 December

There are no train services between Harpenden and London, or Cambridge North and Royston.

The following changes will be made to Thameslink and Great Northern services:

Services between St Albans City and Sutton via Mitcham Junction/Wimbledon will not run
Services between Bedford/Luton and Three Bridges will not run
Services between Peterborough and Horsham will only run:
- between Peterborough and London Kings Cross (2 trains per hour)
- between London Bridge and Horsham (2 trains per hour – calling additionally at Norwood Junction, Purley, Earlswood and Salfords)
Services between Bedford and Brighton will only run between London Bridge and Brighton (2 trains per hour)
Services between Cambridge and Brighton will only run:
- between Royston and London Kings Cross (1 train per hour)
- between London Bridge and Brighton (2 trains per hour)
Services between Kings Lynn and London Kings Cross will only run:
- between Kings Lynn and Cambridge North (1 train per hour)
- between Royston and London Kings Cross (1 train per hour – calling additionally at Hitchin)
Services between Luton and Rainham will only run between London Bridge and Rainham (1 train per hour)
Services between London Blackfriars and Sevenoaks will run between London Victoria and Sevenoaks (1 train per hour)
Additional services will run between Bedford and Harpenden (4 trains per hour)

Rail replacement buses will run between:

Luton Airport Parkway and Hitchin
Harpenden, St Albans City and Potters Bar
London St Pancras and Harpenden (all stations)
Royston and Cambridge (all stations)
Royston and Cambridge (fast)
Royston and Cambridge North (fast)
Cambridge and Cambridge North

Customers travelling to/from Luton Airport Parkway should use the replacement bus service to/from Hitchin, connecting with train services to/from London.

Other services will be running to amended timetables throughout the day.

Sunday 29 December

There are no train services between Harpenden and London, or Cambridge North and Royston.

The following changes will be made to Thameslink and Great Northern services:

Services between St Albans City and Sutton via Mitcham Junction/Wimbledon will not run
Services between Bedford/Luton and Three Bridges will only run between London Bridge and Three Bridges (1 train per hour)
Services between Peterborough and Horsham will only run between London Bridge and Horsham (1 train per hour)
Services between Bedford and Brighton will only run between London Bridge and Brighton (2 trains per hour)
Services between Cambridge and Brighton will only run:
- between Royston and London Kings Cross (1 train per hour)
- between London Bridge and Brighton (1 trains per hour)
Services between Kings Lynn and London Kings Cross will only run:
- between Kings Lynn and Cambridge North (1 train per hour)
- between Royston and London Kings Cross (1 train per hour – calling additionally at Hitchin)
Services between Luton and Rainham will only run between London Bridge and Rainham (1 train per hour)
Services between London Blackfriars and Sevenoaks will run between London Victoria and Sevenoaks (1 train per hour)
Additional services will run between Bedford and Harpenden (4 trains per hour)

Rail replacement buses will run between:

Luton Airport Parkway and Hitchin
Harpenden, St Albans City and Potters Bar
London St Pancras and Harpenden (all stations)
Royston and Cambridge (all stations)
Royston and Cambridge (fast)
Royston and Cambridge North (fast)
Cambridge and Cambridge North

Customers travelling to/from Luton Airport Parkway should use the replacement bus service to/from Hitchin, connecting with train services to/from London.

Other services will be running to amended timetables throughout the day.

Monday 30 & Tuesday 31 December

There are no train services between Cambridge North and Royston.

The following changes will be made to Thameslink and Great Northern services:

Services between Cambridge and Brighton will only run:
- between Royston and Brighton (1 train per hour)
- between Finsbury Park and Brighton (1 train per hour)
Services between Kings Lynn and London Kings Cross will only run:
- between Kings Lynn and Cambridge North (1 train per hour)
- between Royston and London Kings Cross (1 train per hour)
Services between Cambridge and London Kings Cross will only run between Royston and London Kings Cross (1 train per hour)

Rail replacement buses will run between:

Royston and Cambridge (all stations)
Royston and Cambridge (fast)
Royston and Cambridge North (fast)
Cambridge and Cambridge North

Other services will be running to amended timetables throughout the day.

Wednesday 1 January

There are no train services between Cambridge North and Royston.

The following changes will be made to Thameslink and Great Northern services:

Services between Cambridge and Brighton will only run:
- between Royston and Brighton (1 train per hour)
- between Finsbury Park and Brighton (1 train per hour)
Services between Kings Lynn and London Kings Cross will only run:
- between Kings Lynn and Cambridge North (1 train per hour)
- between Royston and London Kings Cross (1 train per hour)
Services between Cambridge and London Kings Cross will only run between Royston and London Kings Cross (1 train per hour)

Rail replacement buses will run between:

Royston and Cambridge (all stations)
Royston and Cambridge (fast)
Royston and Cambridge North (fast)
Cambridge and Cambridge North

Other services will be running to amended timetables throughout the day.

Thursday 2 January until Sunday 5 January

There are no train services between Cambridge and Royston.

The following changes will be made to Thameslink and Great Northern services:

Services between Cambridge and Brighton will only run:
- between Royston and Brighton (1 train per hour)
- between Finsbury Park and Brighton (1 train per hour)
Services between Kings Lynn and London Kings Cross will only run:
- between Kings Lynn and Cambridge (1 train per hour)
- between Ely and Cambridge (1 train per hour)
- between Royston and London Kings Cross (1 train per hour)
Services between Cambridge and London Kings Cross will only run between Royston and London Kings Cross (1 train per hour)

Rail replacement buses will run between:

Royston and Cambridge (all stations)
Royston and Cambridge (fast)
Royston and Cambridge North (fast)

Other services will be running to amended timetables throughout the day.

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Festive period 2024

Route maps of services

Planned services each day

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