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If you regularly rely on London’s Thameslink, listen up. One of the operator’s trusty lines is taking some time off this festive season – so if you were betting on it to pick you up from some Christmas carol-ing or warm up on board it after a gander at one of London’s many merry markets, you’ll have to make new plans.
The Thameslink line will be partly closed from from Christmas Day right up until December 29, with the closures set to most heavily impact the London-Bedford route.
Any travel between St Albans City and Sutton via Mitcham Junction/Wimbledon is off the cards, including all the stops in between (St Pancras, Elephant and Castle and Loughborough Junction), plus Farringdon and Blackfriars, where 1,670 meters of the new track is being installed.
Trains between Bedford/Luton and Three Bridges won’t be running and further down the line, a limited service will be operating. These are the services that you’ll be able to hop on board:
- London Bridge and Three Bridges will have one train per hour on Saturday 29 December
- Two trains per hour will operate between Bedford and Brighton and London Bridge and Brighton
- One train per hour will go between Luton and Rainham via London Bridge and back
- There will also be one train per hour between London Blackfriars, Sevenoaks and London Victoria
Rail replacement buses will be operating on some routes, but they’re expected to be pretty busy. With fewer trains going to and from Gatwick Airport and Luton Airport Parkway, it's a chance to channel your best ‘airport dad’ and leave the house with plenty of time.
From December 25-29, only one Thameslink route will be disrupted (Harpenden to London Bridge). Other services by the operator (Peterborough to King’s Cross, Victoria to Sevenoaks, London Bridge to Brighton) won’t be impacted.
The Thameslink isn’t the only train service retreating from the festive fun. Paddington Station will close for four days from December 24 until December 28 as engineering works take place, and Liverpool Street Station will also be out of action for eight days. Victoria won’t have Southeastern services from December 23 to January 2, while King’s Cross will close on Christmas Eve.
Beat the crowds with our guide to quietest times to travel by train this festive season, and find the full lowdown on the Thameslink disruption on the official website here.
All aboard with Time Out
For more information on public transport over the Christmas period, check out our festive travel hub. And if you’re already planning NYE, heads up, because staff on the Elizabeth Line are planning to walk out.
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