No trains on Christmas Day, almost none on 26 December, and last year buses replaced Royston and Whittlesford line trains for nine days. The 2026 picture so far.

There will be no trains from any South Cambridgeshire station on Christmas Day, and most operators run nothing on Saturday 26 December either. That much National Rail has already confirmed for 2026. What is not yet known is whether the lines through the district close for engineering work after Christmas, as they did for nine days last year and for twelve the year before.

The quick answer

  • Friday 25 December: no trains anywhere. Saturday 26 December: most operators run no service, and the few that do have not been named yet.
  • Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve: trains finish early. National Rail’s last-trains guide is due in late November or early December.
  • Engineering closures: not announced yet. Last year Network Rail announced its Cambridge closure on 20 October, and buses replaced trains between Royston and Cambridge, and Stansted Mountfitchet and Cambridge, from 27 December to 4 January.

What National Rail has confirmed for 2026/27

National Rail’s Christmas guide covers Thursday 24 December 2026 to Monday 4 January 2027. Its summary so far:

Date What runs
Thursday 24 December Many routes finish earlier than normal
Friday 25 December No National Rail services
Saturday 26 December Most operators run no service; a very limited service from a few operators, to be confirmed
Monday 28 December Substitute Boxing Day bank holiday; services to be confirmed
Thursday 31 December Some routes finish earlier than normal
Friday 1 January Late-night extra trains on some London routes after midnight

Source: National Rail, Christmas and New Year 2026/27.

National Rail says each operator’s own Christmas details will be added “from the beginning of October onwards”. The operators that matter here are Great Northern and Thameslink on the Royston line (Foxton, Shepreth and Meldreth), Greater Anglia on the line towards Stansted and London Liverpool Street (Shelford and Whittlesford Parkway), and Great Northern at Waterbeach. Our trains to London page has the normal times from each station.

Two Christmases of closures around Cambridge

The district’s railway has been shut for a large part of the last two festive fortnights, because Network Rail is renewing the signalling across the whole Cambridge area in stages.

Christmas 2024 was stage one. The railway around Cambridge closed for twelve days while the Cambridge North to Ely section was switched to new control equipment.

Christmas 2025 was stage two, the section south of Cambridge. Network Rail’s announcement, dated 20 October 2025, said: “There will be no rail services between both Royston/Stansted Mountfitchet and Cambridge/Cambridge North from Saturday 27 December to Sunday 4 January”. Rail replacement buses ran between the affected stations. Work at Meldreth Road level crossing, upgrading it to full barriers with CCTV, ran from Christmas Eve 2025 until 12 January 2026. (Network Rail, Network Rail, Cambridge re-signalling)

Thameslink ran a revised service between London King’s Cross and Royston while the line north of Royston was closed. (Thameslink)

Will it happen again this Christmas?

Network Rail has not said. Its project page says the programme has four stages and that stages three and four have “details and dates are to be confirmed”. Stage three “could include” level crossing upgrades at Waterbeach and Milton Fen, and re-signalling around Cambridge North and Ely. Stage four covers the Newmarket to Bury St Edmunds branch.

On 25 September 2026 we searched National Rail’s full list of planned engineering notices. It carried no notice for any line through South Cambridgeshire between 24 December and 4 January. It does carry two notices on the Stevenage to Cambridge route starting on 8 and 9 November, which our roadworks and travel page will cover nearer the time.

What it means for you: if you are booking an advance ticket for a journey between 27 December and 4 January, especially from Waterbeach, check again after Network Rail’s Christmas announcement. Last year’s came in the third week of October.

Christmas Eve last trains

Last year Thameslink ran a Saturday service on Christmas Eve, with some extra peak trains, until about 5pm; after that fewer trains ran, with last trains reaching their destinations by around 9pm. Great Northern and Greater Anglia publish their own times. National Rail’s list of last trains out of London is due in late November or early December, and this page will add the times for Foxton, Shepreth, Meldreth, Shelford, Whittlesford Parkway and Waterbeach when it is out.

Buses and parking

Stagecoach runs most buses in the district, including Cambridge Park and Ride. Its 2025 Christmas timetables page has since been taken down, so there is no published precedent to quote; this page will be updated when the 2026 timetables appear, normally in December. South Cambridgeshire District Council owns no car parks, so there are no council Christmas parking concessions to look out for. The costs are at the park and ride sites and station car parks, set out on our parking page.

Still to be confirmed

  • Network Rail’s Christmas engineering plan for Anglia. Expected in October; last year’s was published on 20 October.
  • Operator Christmas timetables, including Monday 28 December. National Rail says these are added from early October.
  • Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve last trains. National Rail’s guide is due in late November or early December.
  • Stagecoach’s festive bus timetables. Normally December.

Bin days move over Christmas too: see our Christmas bin collections page.

Sources