BRITAIN’S two busiest stations will shut for a total of nine days – sparking rail chaos for millions.
London’s Liverpool Street station is shut for “major engineering work” until January 2.
All services will be suspended while workmen replace worn-down roof panels.
They will also add more ticket gates to ease congestion in the often rammed station.
All Elizabeth line, Greater Anglia, London Overground, c2c and Stansted Express trains to, from or through the hub will be affected.
Paddington station on the other side of central London will also shut from today until Sunday.
Network Rail is building the new Old Oak Common station for the scaled-down HS2 line just outside Paddington.
All Elizabeth line, Great Western and Heathrow Express trains to and from the station will be affected.
Liverpool Street is the busiest station in the UK – handling around 221,000 passengers every day.
The station connects London with much of Essex and East Anglia and is used by many City commuters.
It is also near the Shoreditch, Spitalfields and Brick Lane neighbourhoods.
Paddington connects London with south Wales and the west of England.
The station saw a whopping 163,000 passengers a day from 2022 to 2023.
Paddington sits between the north side of Hyde Park and the junction of the Grand Union and Regent’s canals.
But it is best known for giving its name to the well-known Peruvian bear.
Paddington
Elizabeth line:
If you’re travelling on Elizabeth line services between Shenfield and Heathrow Airport or between Abbey Wood and Reading, your train will instead run to Paddington (Elizabeth line station) and terminate there.
If you need to travel to Heathrow Airport or Reading, you will need to instead travel to Ealing Broadway, to pick up a service from this station. You can get to Ealing Broadway, from central London using London Underground or London buses.
Great Western Railway:
Great Western Railway will not be able to run services into or out of London Paddington.
If you are travelling between London and Bristol Parkway, South Wales, Devon or Cornwall, these trains will instead divert to start and terminate at London Euston.
Please note that seat reservations are compulsory on trains to / from London Euston.
If you are travelling between London and Oxford, North Cotswolds or Worcestershire, you can instead use Chiltern Railway services from London Marylebone to Oxford, where you can then change to complete your journey.
If you are travelling between London and Reading, you will instead need to travel to Ealing Broadway, to pick up a service from this station.
You can get to Ealing Broadway, from central London using London Underground or London buses.
Heathrow Express:
No trains will run to / from London Paddington all weekend.
If you are travelling between London and Heathrow Airport, you can instead travel to Ealing Broadway, to pick up a service from this station.
You can get to Ealing Broadway, from central London using London Underground or London buses.
An inter-terminal shuttle service only will run between Heathrow Terminals 2 & 3 and Heathrow Terminal 4 / Heathrow Terminal 5 every 30 minutes from approximately 05:10 until 23:20.
Liverpool Street
c2c:
All trains that usually run to / from London Liverpool Street will be amended to run to / from London Fenchurch Street via West Ham.
London Liverpool Street is just a short distance from London Fenchurch Street.
You can use your ticket at no extra cost on London Underground Jubilee line and Docklands Light Railway services between West Ham and Stratford.
Elizabeth line:
No trains will run between Stratford and the London Liverpool Street station ground level platforms (the numbered platforms).
Please note that Elizabeth line services at London Liverpool Street will call at the underground Elizabeth line platforms only (Platforms A and B).
Trains that usually run between Shenfield and Heathrow Terminal 5 will run between Shenfield and Paddington (Elizabeth line station) only because of engineering work in the London Paddington area.
Eight trains per hour will run on the following routes:
Shenfield and Paddington (Elizabeth line station)
Abbey Wood and Paddington (Elizabeth line station)
Greater Anglia:
Friday 27 and Saturday 28 December:
No trains will run to / from London Liverpool Street. Trains that usually run to / from London Liverpool Street will be diverted to start / terminate at Stratford or other locations. You should use London Underground Central line services between Stratford and Liverpool Street.
Norwich / Ipswich / Clacton-on-Sea / Braintree services will run to / from Witham (due to engineering work). Buses will run between Witham and Billericay to provide a connection with train services between Billericay and Stratford
Southend Victoria services will run to / from Stratford
Cambridge / Bishops Stortford / Hertford East services will run to / from Stratford
Sunday 29 December to Wednesday 1 January:
No trains will run to / from London Liverpool Street station. Trains that usually run to / from London Liverpool Street will be diverted to start / terminate at Stratford. You should use London Underground Central line services to travel between Stratford and Liverpool Street.
Norwich / Ipswich / Clacton-on-Sea / Braintree services will run to / from Stratford
Southend Victoria services will run to / from Stratford
Cambridge / Bishops Stortford / Hertford East services will run to / from Stratford
London Overground:
No trains will run on the Weaver Line between London Liverpool Street and London Fields.
Trains that normally run between London Liverpool Street and Cheshunt / Enfield Town / Chingford will start from and terminate at London Fields instead. Full details are available on our London Overground New Year Timetable page for these routes.
Stansted Express:
Stansted Express services will run between Tottenham Hale and Stansted Airport (as no trains can run to or from London Liverpool Street station).
You can use London Underground services on the Victoria / Circle / Hammersmith & City / Metropolitan lines to travel between Tottenham Hale and Liverpool Street (you’ll need to change London Underground trains at Kings Cross St Pancras).
Check before you travel:
You can plan your journey using the National Rail Enquiries Journey Planner
You can plan your journey on London Underground and Docklands Light Railway by using the Transport for London Journey Planner
Replacement Bus Travel Advice:
For helpful advice if you need to travel on a rail replacement service, including accessibility and bicycle information, please use our Rail Replacement Services page.
You can find the pick-up and set-down location of rail replacement services by checking station signage or by searching for your station on our Find a Station page.
Please be advised that replacement vehicles may be busier than usual, and you should allow extra time for your journey.
