Christmas travel nightmare as major London station to close with key rail lines shutting

Engineering work over Christmas is set to bring disruption across the Elizabeth line and to major routes into London.The Paddington to Heathrow link will be restored on New Year’s Eve, but the Elizabeth line will not run any further west until January 4, 2027.Some passengers wanting to travel east from Liverpool Street on the Elizabeth line will also face disruption.Network Rail, a publicly-owned organisation responsible for railways stations and tracks, said the Paddington closure was due to work on upgrading a junction and installing new track.Great Western Railway services to Wales and the West Country will be unable to access Paddington until January 4, Network Rail said.Paddington station will deep cleaned while it is shutPA WireLong-distance services will instead start and finish at Reading, while some services will be diverted to London Euston. Paddington station will remain open for customers to use toilets and other facilities. A deep clean of the station is scheduled to take place while it is shuttered.Elizabeth line and Greater Anglia trains will not be able to travel between Liverpool Street and Forest Gate until January 4 due to a major track replacement project in the east London area, Network Rail confirmed.Read MoreThe route will be closed for 10 days from Christmas Day, with engineers replacing worn-out rails on the busy stretch. It means trains will not run between Stratford and Romford, with rail replacement buses due to be put on.Trains from Liverpool Street to Cambridge via Stansted Airport are not affected by the works.Track closures over Christmas will allow for £152 million of improvement works, Network Rail said, with other projects planned at Birmingham New Street and Huddersfield stations.Network Rail said in a statement: “Passengers will be able to travel across most of the railway network this Christmas and New Year while essential upgrade work takes place at a small number of locations.“Most routes will remain open, helping people travel to spend time with family and friends during the festive period. Passengers using Liverpool Street station could face Christmas disruptionsLS“Where services are affected by engineering work, alternative travel arrangements will be in place. “Passengers are encouraged to check their journey before travelling and allow extra time where needed.“The quieter festive period gives our engineers one of the best opportunities to carry out major improvements with less impact on customers. “We understand that changing travel plans can be inconvenient, especially at Christmas. That’s why we schedule the most disruptive work between Christmas Day and New Year, when fewer people are travelling.“These longer engineering possessions allow teams to complete complex projects that cannot be carried out during normal railway operations, helping to deliver a more reliable railway for the future.”Trains into Waterloo will be reduced and run an amended timetable on Sunday December 27 and Monday December 28, according to National Rail, due to engineering crews being on the ground in the Queenstown Road area.There will be no Southeastern trains to Charing Cross, Waterloo East, Canon Street or via Lewisham on the same days due to work on the track around New Cross, south-east London.A limited service from the train operator will run to and from London Bridge, with some services diverted to Victoria.Train services will not operate on most routes in England on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, Network Rail has reminded passengers. On Christmas Eve, services are likely to finish earlier than usual.Those looking to travel on the East Coast Mainline to the north of England and Scotland may want to consider doing so before Christmas Eve.Works in the Doncaster area mean services from the capital will either be heavily disrupted or will not run at all, with no service provided by Lumo, Hull Trains or Grand Central.Rail replacement coaches will run between Newark and York, potentially adding as much as two hours onto journey times.