No SWR trains on 25 or 26 December, and the last train leaves Waterloo around 22:00 on Christmas Eve. Every day from 24 December to 4 January, from SWR.
There will be no South Western Railway trains from Basingstoke on Christmas Day or Boxing Day, Friday 25 and Saturday 26 December 2026. On Christmas Eve the last SWR train leaves London Waterloo around 22:00. SWR has now published its full plan from Christmas Eve to 4 January on its National Rail Christmas page. Engineering work cuts the service to and from London Waterloo on Sunday 27 and Monday 28 December, and several routes will start and finish at Basingstoke instead.
Updated 2 November: SWR has filled in every remaining day. Christmas Eve last trains leave Waterloo around 22:00, there are no SWR trains on Boxing Day, the first train from Waterloo on 27 December is at 06:14, and on New Year’s Eve the last train leaves Waterloo before midnight. On 3 January buses replace trains between Basingstoke and Southampton Central and Fareham. GWR has published its plan too.
Updated 19 October: SWR’s details for 27 December to 1 January added. Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, New Year’s Eve and 2 to 4 January are still blank.
The quick answer
- Thursday 24 December: SWR’s last train leaves Waterloo around 22:00; GWR trains finish their journeys by 21:30.
- Friday 25 and Saturday 26 December: no trains on SWR or GWR.
- Sunday 27 and Monday 28 December: Salisbury trains run between Basingstoke and Salisbury only, and Poole and Portsmouth Harbour trains via Eastleigh run between Basingstoke and the coast only. Weymouth trains still run to and from Waterloo on an amended timetable.
- Monday 28 to Wednesday 30 December: a Saturday level of service, subject to engineering work.
- Thursday 31 December: the last SWR train leaves Waterloo before midnight, then extra overnight trains run from Waterloo between 01:00 and 04:45.
- Friday 1 January: a Sunday level of service, subject to engineering work.
- Sunday 3 January: buses replace trains between Basingstoke and Southampton Central, and between Basingstoke and Fareham.
What SWR has published, day by day
| Date | South Western Railway |
|---|---|
| Thursday 24 December | Trains finish earlier than normal; last train from Waterloo around 22:00 |
| Friday 25 December | No trains |
| Saturday 26 December | No SWR trains |
| Sunday 27 December | Later start: first train from Waterloo 06:14. Reduced and amended service to and from Waterloo. Basingstoke to Salisbury only; Basingstoke to Poole and Portsmouth Harbour only; Weymouth trains call additionally at Farnborough |
| Monday 28 December | Saturday level of service. Basingstoke to Salisbury only; Basingstoke to Poole and Portsmouth Harbour only; Weymouth trains call additionally at Clapham Junction, Woking and Basingstoke |
| Tuesday 29 December | Saturday level of service, subject to engineering work |
| Wednesday 30 December | Saturday level of service, subject to engineering work |
| Thursday 31 December | Trains finish earlier than normal; last train from Waterloo before midnight, with a queuing system at Waterloo for the London fireworks |
| Friday 1 January 2027 | Extra overnight trains from Waterloo between 01:00 and 04:45, then trains again from 06:20; Sunday level of service. Buses replace trains between Andover and Gillingham (Dorset) |
| Saturday 2 January | Buses between Andover and Gillingham (Dorset); buses between Winchester and Southampton Central |
| Sunday 3 January | Buses between Andover and Gillingham (Dorset); buses replace trains between Basingstoke and Southampton Central, and between Basingstoke and Fareham |
| Monday 4 January | Normal service, with late-night Eastleigh works: some evening trains replaced by buses from Basingstoke |
The SWR notice does not mention the Waterloo to Basingstoke stopping trains on 27 or 28 December. Check National Rail’s journey planner once the timetable is loaded before you travel on either day. Elsewhere on the network, Dorking trains do not run on either day, and Queenstown Road station is closed.
Great Western Railway, which runs the Basingstoke to Reading trains, has published its own plan on National Rail. Its services finish their journeys by 21:30 on Christmas Eve, and there are no GWR trains on 25 or 26 December. On 27 and 28 December no GWR trains run between Slough and London Paddington because of engineering work, so going to London via Reading is no way round the Waterloo cuts on those days.
What National Rail has confirmed for the whole network
| Date | What we know |
|---|---|
| Thursday 24 December | Trains on many routes finish earlier than normal. A last-trains-from-London guide is due late November or early December |
| Friday 25 December | No National Rail services |
| Saturday 26 December | Most operators run no service; a very limited service from a few, to be confirmed |
| Monday 28 December | Boxing Day substitute bank holiday; services to be confirmed |
| Thursday 31 December | Some routes finish earlier than normal |
| Friday 1 January 2027 | Extra late services on some London routes after midnight; guide due early December |
National Rail also lists major engineering work at Birmingham New Street from Thursday 24 to Monday 28 December. The per-operator pages for South Western Railway and Great Western Railway were both empty when we first checked on 25 September. By 19 October the SWR page carried the detail above; we will add GWR’s when it appears.
What happened last Christmas
For the days SWR has not filled in, last year’s is the best guide. The SWR page on National Rail, as archived on 28 November 2025, showed this for Basingstoke passengers:
- Christmas Eve: an early shutdown, with the last services from London Waterloo departing before 22:00.
- Christmas Day and Boxing Day: no SWR trains at all.
- Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 December: no trains between London Waterloo and Clapham Junction because of engineering work. Exeter services started from Basingstoke. On the Sunday, Waterloo to Basingstoke and Alton trains ran hourly, starting from Clapham Junction.
- Monday 29 to Wednesday 31 December: “a reduced and amended service” to and from Waterloo. Basingstoke stopping trains and Alton trains ran joined together as far as Woking and divided there, hourly on the 29th and 30th.
National Rail says “a considerable number of engineering and improvement projects” will be carried out at Christmas and New Year, so a closure somewhere on the line to London between Christmas and New Year is a reasonable thing to plan around until SWR says otherwise.
Engineering work already booked before Christmas
One closure is already published. From Monday 23 to Wednesday 25 November 2026, all lines between Basingstoke and Winchester close overnight, from Monday evening until Thursday morning. National Rail’s notice says that after 22:20 each night buses replace trains between Basingstoke and Southampton Central via Winchester, and some Waterloo to Bournemouth and Weymouth trains run via Havant.
Parking and shopping
The council has not yet announced any Christmas parking offer for 2026. Last year it made its town centre car parks free for Small Business Saturday, from 8am on Saturday 6 December to 8am on Sunday 7 December 2025, according to its release of 17 November 2025. The town centre also closes six streets for the lights switch-on on 20 November: see our Christmas lights switch-on page, and parking in Basingstoke for charges.
Still to be confirmed
- Whether any of SWR’s New Year overnight trains from Waterloo stop at Basingstoke. The notice does not list stops.
- The exact last train to Basingstoke on Christmas Eve. SWR says around 22:00 from Waterloo; National Rail’s last-trains guide is due late November or early December.
- Any Christmas parking offer from the council, which last year came in mid November.
For everyday times and fares see Basingstoke train times to London; for road closures, roadworks and travel. Bins move over the holiday too: see Christmas bin collections.
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