SOUTH Western Railway (SWR) customers are advised to check before travelling over the Christmas and New Year period due to seasonal service alterations and major engineering works in the Woking area.
On Christmas Eve (Tuesday 24 December), an amended timetable will operate, with services ending earlier than usual at around 22:00. Island Line services will also end earlier than usual, before 21:00. Customers intending to travel should check their final trains.
There will be no services on the whole network on Christmas Day (Wednesday 25 December) and Boxing Day (Thursday 26 December). Services will resume with an amended timetable on Friday 27 December.
A limited number of additional services will run from London Waterloo in the early hours of New Year’s Day (Wednesday 1 January), for customers returning from festivities in the capital. Services will call at stations in London and Surrey on the Kingston via Richmond, Twickenham via Wimbledon and Guildford via Woking routes.
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.
As well as these seasonal alterations, services will also be impacted by engineering works from Sunday 22 December 2024 to the end of Sunday 5 January 2025. Buses will replace trains on some routes, so customers should allow extra time as journeys will take longer than usual.
This includes major engineering works in the Woking area from Monday 23 December 2024 to the end of Sunday 5 January 2025, significantly affecting services on the main line between London Waterloo and destinations including Southampton, Basingstoke, Portsmouth (via Eastleigh), Bournemouth and Exeter.
Buses will replace trains between Brockenhurst and Lymington Pier from Monday 23 December 2024 to Friday 3 January 2025, while services in the Westbury area will be revised between Friday 27 December 2024 and Thursday 23 January 2025.
SWR’s normal timetable will resume on Monday 6 January 2025. Journey planners are up to date, so customers should plan ahead and check their journeys carefully if they intend to travel on these routes.
Steve Tyler, Performance and Planning Director at South Western Railway, commented:
“Christmas is always a busy time on the railway and due to service alterations, we recommend customers check journey planners carefully before travelling. Trains will stop running earlier than usual on Christmas Eve and, as usual, there will be no trains on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
“We are pleased to be running a limited number of additional services in the early hours of New Year’s Day to get people home after celebrating, but please only head to the fireworks on the South Bank if you have a ticket for the event.
“Major engineering works will also take place in the Woking area which, due to their location on the main line, will significantly impact services on busy routes to destinations such as Southampton, Basingstoke, Portsmouth (via Eastleigh), Bournemouth and Exeter.
“We strongly advise anyone planning to travel between Monday 23 December 2024 and Sunday 5 January 2025 to check their journey carefully and allow extra time as journeys will take longer than usual. We’re sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.”
More information about services during the Christmas and New Year period can be found at southwesternrailway.com/christmas.
Customers can plan ahead by visiting southwesternrailway.com/plan-my-journey.
For more information on engineering work in the Woking area, please visit southwesternrailway.com/woking-christmas.
|
Summary of service changes:
|
|
Friday 20 December
Normal weekday service
|
|
Saturday 21 December
Normal Saturday service
|
|
Sunday 22 December
Normal Sunday service
Buses replace trains between:
- Brockenhurst and Lymington Pier
- Petersfield and Portsmouth Harbour
- Motspur Park and Chessington South
- Virginia Water and Weybridge
|
|
Monday 23 December
Amended Saturday service
Buses replace trains between:
- Brockenhurst and Lymington Pier
- Woking and Farnborough
- Woking and Aldershot
|
|
Tuesday 24 December - Christmas Eve
Amended Saturday service
Services will end earlier than usual for Christmas Eve. The last trains of the day will depart from London Waterloo by 2203. On the Island Line, the last train from Ryde Esplanade will depart at 2000 and the last train from Shanklin will depart at 2030.
Buses replace trains between:
- Brockenhurst and Lymington Pier
- Woking and Farnborough
- Woking and Aldershot
Rail replacement bus services will end earlier than usual.
|
|
Wednesday 25 December - Christmas Day
No service
|
|
Thursday 26 December - Boxing Day
No service
|
|
Friday 27 December
Amended Saturday service
Buses replace trains between:
- Brockenhurst and Lymington Pier
- Woking and Farnborough
- Woking and Aldershot
There will be no SWR service to Westbury
|
|
Saturday 28 December
Normal Saturday service
Buses replace trains between:
- Brockenhurst and Lymington Pier
- Woking and Farnborough
- Woking and Aldershot
There will be no SWR service to Westbury
|
|
Sunday 29 December
Normal Sunday service
Buses replace trains between:
- Brockenhurst and Lymington Pier*
- Woking and Farnborough
- Woking and Aldershot
There will be no SWR service to Westbury
*Services will be amended. Please see southwesternrailway.com/plan-my-journey for more details.
|
|
Monday 30 December
Amended Saturday service
Buses replace trains between:
- Brockenhurst and Lymington Pier
- Woking and Farnborough
- Woking and Aldershot
There will be no SWR service to Westbury
|
|
Tuesday 31 December - New Year's Eve
Amended Saturday service
Buses replace trains between:
- Brockenhurst and Lymington Pier
- Woking and Farnborough
- Woking and Aldershot
There will be no SWR service to Westbury
|
|
Wednesday 1 January 2025 - New Year's Day
Additional trains will run after midnight from London Waterloo to:
- Guildford via Woking (0045)
- Kingston via Richmond (0100)
- Twickenham via Wimbledon (0115)
- Kingston via Richmond (0130)
- Guildford via Woking (0145)
- Kingston via Richmond (0200)
- Twickenham via Wimbledon (0215)
- Kingston via Twickenham (0230)
- Guildford via Woking (0245)
- Kingston via Richmond (0300)
- Twickenham via Wimbledon (0315)
- Kingston via Richmond (0330)
- Guildford via Woking (0345)
- Kingston via Richmond (0400)
- Twickenham via Wimbledon (0415)
- Kingston via Richmond (0430)
- Guildford via Woking (0445)
After the above services, a Sunday service will run on our network
Buses replace trains between:
- Brockenhurst and Lymington Pier
- Woking and Farnborough
- Woking and Aldershot
There will be no SWR service to Westbury
|
|
Thursday 2 January
Amended Saturday service.
Buses replace trains between:
- Brockenhurst and Lymington Pier
- Woking and Farnborough
- Woking and Aldershot
There will be no SWR service to Westbury
|
|
Friday 3 January
Amended Saturday service.
Buses replace trains between:
- Brockenhurst and Lymington Pier
- Woking and Farnborough
- Woking and Aldershot
There will be no SWR service to Westbury
|
|
Saturday 4 January
Saturday service
Buses replace trains between:
- Brockenhurst and Lymington Pier
- Woking and Basingstoke
- Woking and Aldershot
There will be no SWR service to Westbury
|
|
Sunday 5 January
Sunday service
Buses replace trains between:
- Aldershot and Weybridge
- Andover and Woking
- Basingstoke and Weybridge
- Brockenhurst and Lymington Pier
- Leatherhead and Dorking
- Winchester and Woking
- Weybridge and Guildford
There will be no SWR service to Westbury
|
