Birmingham New Street will have no trains for five days over Christmas 2026, and thousands of festive travellers will need a new plan. Network Rail has confirmed the closure runs from Thursday 24 December to Monday 28 December inclusive, and passengers are being urged to check timetables now, plan ahead and allow extra time.
The shutdown is the first phase of a £13m programme to replace overhead power lines on the approaches to and through the station. Much of the existing wiring dates back to the 1960s and needs replacing to reduce the risk of faults and improve long-term reliability. Further work is planned over Christmas in 2027 and 2028.
For anyone relying on the railway over the holidays, the practical picture matters most. Christmas timetables are now available. Journeys on the affected days will involve replacement buses, different routes, or a change at an alternative station. The engineering work will hit travel on Christmas Eve, Sunday 27 December and the bank holiday on Monday 28 December, while trains do not run at Birmingham New Street on Christmas Day or Boxing Day, as happens every year.
Services return to a full, normal timetable on Tuesday 29 December. Until then, passengers who can travel on a different date either side of the closure are encouraged to consider doing so, though trains immediately before and after the closure are likely to be busier than normal. Birmingham Snow Hill and Birmingham Moor Street will also be busier, and Christmas Eve services will finish early as they do every year.
Train operators, including Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, London Northwestern Railway, Transport for Wales and West Midlands Railway, have set out alternative arrangements. Replacement buses will link Birmingham New Street with Birmingham International and Wolverhampton, and long-distance services will be amended or diverted, with replacement buses providing connections on several routes.
Meanwhile, the closure is being used to deliver other improvements that would otherwise require separate disruption. Major track renewal will take place on the line between Birmingham and Sandwell and at Berkswell between Birmingham and Coventry. Alongside the overhead line upgrade, Network Rail will invest £6.4m in replacing ageing junction equipment and renewing 800 metres of track at Soho. Doing both projects during the same closure is intended to minimise disruption while delivering smoother, more reliable journeys.
The Berkswell work forms part of Network Rail’s continuing collaboration with HS2 to support the construction of Britain’s new high-speed railway. A new turnout will be installed to connect the existing railway to new sidings, which will provide an important rail link for transporting materials needed for future phases of HS2’s construction.
Mark Goodall, route director for Network Rail Central route, acknowledged the impact on passengers. “Passengers want and deserve a railway they can rely on and our teams will be working over Christmas to help make journeys more reliable for years to come,” he said. “We’re using the annual Christmas Day and Boxing Day shutdown to get as much essential work done as possible and minimise the overall disruption to passengers. I know the changes will affect Christmas journeys and I am sorry for any inconvenience caused. My advice is to plan ahead, check before you travel, and allow extra time for your journeys.”
Tom Painter, executive director of WMRE, said the investment is essential for the region. “We understand how frustrating disruption can be, especially when people are making plans to travel over Christmas. But this major investment is essential to delivering a stronger, more reliable railway network for our region over the long term. We’re working closely with our transport partners to make sure passengers know what alternative travel options are available. Please check before you travel and plan ahead.”
Although no trains will serve Birmingham New Street during the work, the station itself will remain open, giving access to Grand Central and the city centre. Station facilities, including the assisted travel lounge and toilets, will stay available, with staff on hand to help. The Avanti West Coast first class lounge will be closed. Queueing systems will be in place at busy times to help passengers reach their replacement buses and onward connections, and passengers are asked to follow staff guidance.
The changes vary by operator. Avanti West Coast trains will run to an amended timetable and will not call at Birmingham New Street, with replacement buses running between the station and Wolverhampton, and between the station and Birmingham International. CrossCountry long-distance services will be amended and/or diverted, with trains running between Coleshill Parkway and Stansted Airport; Nottingham and Cardiff Central; Edinburgh and Plymouth; and Manchester Piccadilly and Bournemouth, supported by replacement bus links including Coleshill Parkway to Birmingham New Street via Water Orton, Worcestershire Parkway to Birmingham New Street, and Tamworth and Wilnecote to Birmingham New Street.
London Northwestern Railway services between London Euston or Northampton and Birmingham New Street will terminate and start at Birmingham International on 27 and 28 December. The line between Northampton and Rugby via Long Buckby will be closed between 27 December 2026 and 1 January 2027 due to other engineering work, with buses replacing trains. Trains between Birmingham New Street and Crewe or Liverpool Lime Street will run between Wolverhampton and Crewe or Liverpool Lime Street only, at reduced frequency, with connections at Wolverhampton to Sandwell & Dudley, replacement buses to Smethwick Galton Bridge, and trains to Birmingham Snow Hill with up to five trains per hour.
West Midlands Railway will run reduced services on several routes, including Wolverhampton to Rugeley Trent Valley with additional calls at Willenhall and Darlaston, Shrewsbury to Sandwell & Dudley with additional calls at Coseley and Tipton, and Wolverhampton to Sandwell & Dudley. No trains will run on the Lichfield Trent Valley or Four Oaks to Bromsgrove or Redditch route, or between Birmingham New Street and Kings Norton via Kings Heath, with replacement buses operating instead. Transport for Wales trains will not run between Wolverhampton and Birmingham International, and the operator advises passengers to check their journey for available options.
Passengers should plan their journey with their train operator or at www.nationalrail.co.uk, or visit www.nationalrail.co.uk/newstreetclosure for the latest advice and links to journey planners. Network Rail’s national helpline is available on 03457 11 41 41. With two more Christmas closures still to come in 2027 and 2028, will travellers see the payoff of a more reliable railway in time for the holidays ahead?