UK's busiest station outside London set to close for five days during £13million upgrade

See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Published: 04:42 EDT, 23 September 2026 | Updated: 04:42 EDT, 23 September 2026 A busy UK train station is set to close for five days to undergo a major £13million upgrade.Passengers planning to travel from Birmingham New Street may need to rethink their journeys in December. The bustling station, which sees over 140,000 travellers a day, has scheduled engineering work over Christmas. There will be no train services to or from the station from December 24 to 28. During this time, Network Rail will begin work on the overhead power lines – a vital part to keeping electric trains on the move.The upgrades will include the wiring on lines on the approaches to and through the station. Much of the work covers areas that date back to the 1960s. Birmingham New Street station will have no services running to or from it from December 24 to 28 Network Rail hopes the transformation will help improve service reliability in the future. The work is part of the first phase of a three-year-long programme. More is planned over Christmas 2027 and 2028. Birmingham New Street station building will remain open during the engineering upgrades, giving visitors access to shops and the wider city centre. Toilets and the assisted travel lounge will be accessible too and staff will be around. Martin Colmey, route director for Network Rail Central route, said: 'Birmingham New Street is at the heart of the rail network, supporting millions of local, regional and national journeys every year.'Much of the overhead line equipment dates back to the 1960s and needs to be replaced. 'This £13m investment has been carefully planned to make the railway more reliable.'There is never a good time for this type of work and we have done all we can to reduce its impact as much as possible. During this time, Network Rail will begin work on the overhead power lines'Christmas is a quieter time but we know it will affect journeys at an important time of the year.'He emphasised that Network Rail wishes to notify passengers 'as early as possible so they can plan ahead'.Mr Colmey added: 'As soon as tickets are available to buy for Christmas travel, there will be clear, detailed information to help passengers plan their journeys and make informed decisions.'Services to and from Birmingham New Street are set to resume on Tuesday, December 29. It is the busiest train station outside of London. During the work, Network Rail warns journeys may take longer and passengers may have to use rail-replacement buses or the local bus network to get around.