Festive transport guide: Overground, Underground, rail and bus services over Christmas and New Years

Underground sign at Christmas Pic: Marcel Oosterwijk

Passengers travelling between December 23 and January 1 need to be aware of service changes and holiday hours affecting their journeys.

Planned closures and disruptions to the London Overground, Tubes and bus and rail services will take place over the Christmas period, so TfL recommends that those intending to travel take advantage of alternative methods of transport. Taxis and the Barclays Cycle Hire system will both be in full operation during the festive season.

Free travel will be available between 11:45pm December 31 and 4:30am January 1 on all Tube, bus, tram and DLR services, and until last trains on New Years Eve on the London Overground.

Take a look at ELL’s guide to London transport during the holiday season to make your journey as easy as possible. To be safe, check your route with TfL’s festive planner before travelling.

The Underground will not be running on Christmas Day and will operate a slightly reduced service on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day. Last tubes on Tuesday December 24 will be at Sunday times and services will restart at 8:30am on Thursday December 26, with last trains at Sunday times. On December 27, Saturday December 28, and December 30 a Saturday timetable will run with only a few closures.

The Underground will run a frequent service on New Year’s Eve and a Sunday service is scheduled for New Year’s Day.

The London Overground will run a Saturday service until 9:30pm on Christmas Eve, after which it will be closed until December 27. There will be some line closures every day from December 23 to December 29, with a Saturday timetable on weekdays between December 27 and New Years.

For December 30, New Years Eve, and New Years Day, the Overground will be running a Saturday service.

Commuter trains will be running a slightly reduced service on December 24, with many lines closing early. There will be no service on Christmas Day and only limited trains on Southern and Stansted Express routes on Boxing Day. Expect a weekend service across all providers from December 27 until December 29.

Visit your train operator’s website for specific services over the New Year period and to check line closures between December 27 and December 30.

Buses are your safest bet for travelling around the city over the Christmas period as they are least effected. Buses will be running a Saturday schedule on Christmas Eve and there will be no service Christmas Day.

On New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day buses will also be running a Saturday service, but there will be a number of route amendments due to road closures in central London.

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