SOUTH Western Railway (SWR) customers are advised to check before they travel over the Christmas and New Year period, due to seasonal changes and major engineering work between Clapham Junction and London Waterloo.
Engineers will make improvements to track, switches and crossings, signalling systems and electrical supplies, and at Queenstown Road (Battersea), improve platforms. When complete, customers can expect fewer faults and delays, together with smoother and more reliable journeys.
On Christmas Eve, (Wednesday 24 December) an amended timetable will operate, with services finishing earlier than usual, at around 2200. Island Line services will also finish earlier than usual, before 2100. Customers should check their journeys and be aware of the last trains of the day.
As in previous years, there will be no SWR services on Christmas Day (Thursday 25 December) and Boxing Day (Friday 26 December).
Whilst other SWR services on the network will resume, on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 December there will be no services between London Waterloo and Clapham Junction. An amended timetable will operate on all lines via Barnes and Wimbledon, with services starting and finishing their journeys at Clapham Junction.
On these days, customers travelling to and from the affected areas should consider:
- Connecting with TfL services, using the District Line at Richmond and Wimbledon
- Connecting with GWR services at Basingstoke, and travelling to Reading for onward services to London Paddington
- Connecting with Southern services at Portsmouth, Epsom and Clapham Junction, for London Victoria
- Travelling from Salisbury, Yeovil and Exeter to Westbury, for GWR services to London Paddington
On Monday 29 and Tuesday 30 December, all services that run through Barnes will start and finish their journeys at Clapham Junction. A reduced service will run on lines via Wimbledon, and Vauxhall and Queenstown Road (Battersea) will be closed*.
On New Year’s Eve (Wednesday 31 December), an amended timetable will run, with all services that run via Barnes starting and finishing their journeys at Clapham Junction. There will also be some minor changes to services via Wimbledon.
Additional services will run from London Waterloo to Basingstoke, Guildford and Twickenham (via Kingston and Wimbledon) and between approximately 0100 and 0500, for customers returning from New Year’s Eve celebrations.
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On Thursday 1 January, a reduced service will operate on all lines. All services that run via Barnes will start and finish their journeys at Clapham Junction.
Between Friday 2 and Sunday 4 January, journeys via Barnes will again start and finish at Clapham Junction, while services towards Woking and Reading will be affected by separate engineering work on Sunday 4 January.
Services are anticipated to be busy over the Christmas period, and customers travelling with luggage are advised to bring only what they can comfortably carry, while making use of all available onboard storage space.
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.”
Full details of SWR services during the Christmas and New Year period can be found at southwesternrailway.com/Christmas.
Customers are advised to use SWR’s journey planner at southwesternrailway.com/plan-my-journey.
Please note:
*Queenstown Road (Battersea) will be closed from Saturday 27 December to Sunday 4 January (inclusive).
Vauxhall will be closed from Saturday 27 December until Tuesday 30 December. SWR services will operate from Vauxhall on Wednesday 31 December, before the station closes again for one more day on Thursday 1 January 2026.
Customers should only travel to the Mayor of London's fireworks display on the South Bank if they have a ticket for the event, as anyone without a ticket will not be permitted entry. For the safety of our customers, a queuing system will be set up outside London Waterloo station on New Year’s Eve, as large numbers of spectators from the fireworks display are expected to travel.
Further line closures are planned between London Waterloo and Clapham Junction on Saturday 10, Sunday 11, and Saturday 31 January, plus Sunday 1 February 2026.
Engineering work will affect other networks and train operators over the Christmas and New Year period; customers are advised to check their entire journey before they travel.
