Christmas Eve: last Chiltern train from Marylebone 8.02pm. No trains 25 Dec, none north of Oxford Parkway 26 Dec. No Leamington line buses announced yet.
There are no trains anywhere on Christmas Day, Friday 25 December 2026, and very few on Saturday 26 December. The bigger question for Stratford is the week after. Last Christmas, Chiltern Railways replaced every train between Stratford-upon-Avon and Leamington Spa with buses for nine days running, from 27 December to 4 January. Chiltern’s 2026 plan, published on National Rail, does not repeat that so far.
Rail companies start adding their festive timetables to National Rail’s Christmas page from the beginning of October. This page will be updated as each piece lands.
Updated 3 November: Chiltern has now posted its Christmas Eve last trains (8.02pm from London Marylebone to Birmingham Moor Street, 8.11pm from Birmingham Snow Hill to Marylebone) and its Boxing Day plan, which runs no trains north of Oxford Parkway, so nothing to Banbury or Leamington on 26 December. For 27 to 29 December it still lists only the Amersham engineering work, and 30 December, 2 and 3 January read “Normal service”. No Stratford to Leamington bus replacement has been announced, unlike last year.
Updated 13 October: West Midlands Railway, which runs Stratford’s Birmingham trains, has posted its Christmas detail on National Rail: no WMR trains at all on Christmas Day or Saturday 26 December, and services after 7pm on Christmas Eve running less often and finishing early. Chiltern’s page lists only engineering work between Marylebone and Aylesbury Vale Parkway via Amersham on 27 to 29 December, nothing yet for Stratford or Leamington.
The quick answer
- Christmas Day: no trains. Boxing Day (Saturday 26 December): most operators run nothing. The bank holiday is on Monday 28 December, and its timetable is not confirmed.
- Christmas Eve: trains finish early. Chiltern’s last train from London Marylebone to Birmingham Moor Street is 8.02pm; WMR’s Birmingham trains thin out after 7pm. WMR’s exact last trains are not out yet.
- Last year the Stratford to Leamington line was buses only from 27 December to 4 January. Chiltern’s 2026 plan, published so far, lists no such buses; recheck before you travel.
What is confirmed for 2026
National Rail’s festive travel summary covers Thursday 24 December 2026 to Monday 4 January 2027 (National Rail, Christmas and New Year 2026/27). It says:
- 24 December: services on many routes finish earlier than normal. Its guide to last trains is due in late November or early December.
- 25 December: no National Rail services.
- 26 December: most operators run no service, with a very limited service from a few companies, details to follow.
- 28 December: the substitute Boxing Day bank holiday. Services are to be confirmed.
- 31 December: some routes finish early.
- Birmingham New Street has major engineering work from 24 to 28 December inclusive, and journeys to, from or through New Street will be “significantly disrupted”.
Stratford’s own Birmingham trains run to Snow Hill and Moor Street, not New Street, so the New Street closure hits you only if you change there, for example onward to Manchester, the North West or Birmingham International.
Chiltern Railways, which runs the Leamington and London trains, says “further changes will be made to the timetable between 13 December 2026 and 10 January 2027, including significant changes over the Christmas and New Year period” (Chiltern Railways, timetables). Its December timetable change is also the one that brings back direct London trains, covered on our Stratford to London trains page.
What happened last Christmas
Chiltern published its 2025 festive timetable on 18 December 2025 (Chiltern Railways, festive timetable). For Stratford it meant:
| Date (2025/26) | Stratford to Leamington line |
|---|---|
| Wed 24 Dec | Trains, finishing early. Last Birmingham Moor Street to Marylebone train 20.17 |
| Thu 25 Dec | No trains |
| Fri 26 Dec | No Chiltern trains north of Oxford Parkway |
| Sat 27 Dec to Sun 4 Jan | Rail replacement buses all day: Leamington Spa, Warwick, Stratford-upon-Avon Parkway, Stratford-upon-Avon |
| Mon 5 Jan | Normal timetable |
The buses ran every day of that stretch, including New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, and connected with trains at Leamington. Chiltern ran lengthened and extra trains between Marylebone and Birmingham Moor Street on the same days, so the London and Birmingham main line itself kept running from Leamington.
This is a guide to what could happen, not this year’s plan. Christmas Day falls on a Friday this year, a day later than 2025, and the engineering programme changes every year.
West Midlands Railway: Birmingham trains
Stratford’s trains to Birmingham Moor Street and Snow Hill are run by West Midlands Railway. Its Christmas entry on National Rail (West Midlands Railway, Christmas and New Year) says:
- Thursday 24 December: after 7pm, services run to an amended timetable at reduced frequency and close down earlier than normal.
- Friday 25 December: no trains.
- Saturday 26 December: “No West Midlands Railway trains will operate.”
- 24, 27 and 28 December: the changes listed are all around the New Street engineering work (Cross City, Walsall and Wolverhampton lines), with buses on some of those routes. None names the Stratford line, Snow Hill or Moor Street services to Stratford.
- 29 December to 4 January: “Information will be published when available.”
Chiltern Railways: Leamington and London trains
Chiltern’s entry on National Rail (Chiltern Railways, Christmas and New Year), read on 3 November, now covers every day:
| Day | What Chiltern says |
|---|---|
| Thu 24 Dec | Early finish on all routes. Last northbound: 8.02pm London Marylebone to Birmingham Moor Street. Last southbound: 8.11pm Birmingham Snow Hill to London Marylebone |
| Fri 25 Dec | No trains |
| Sat 26 Dec | Limited service, about 8am to 9pm, Marylebone to Oxford Parkway only; nothing to Banbury, Leamington or Birmingham |
| Sun 27 to Tue 29 Dec | Busier than usual between Moor Street and Marylebone because New Street is shut (27 and 28 Dec); engineering work via Amersham only |
| Wed 30 Dec | Normal service |
| Thu 31 Dec | Late trains cancelled, including the 11.05pm Marylebone to Birmingham Moor Street and 12.05am to Banbury |
| Fri 1 Jan | Extra trains after midnight from Marylebone, to Banbury at 12.50am and 1.50am |
| Sat 2 and Sun 3 Jan | Normal service |
None of the days lists buses between Stratford and Leamington, which is what happened from 27 December to 4 January last year. Chiltern’s timetable page still warns of “significant changes over the Christmas and New Year period”, so this is a gap to recheck rather than a promise.
Buses and parking
- Stagecoach, which runs most buses in and out of Stratford, has not yet published festive timetables. Last year’s page has been taken down, so we cannot give you last year’s pattern.
- Parking: the district council has announced no Christmas parking offers for 2026, and we found none in its 2025 press releases either. Normal charges and the park and ride are on our parking page. If you drive in for the Christmas market, that page has the market-weekend park and ride detail.
- Roads: current closures and works are on our roadworks page.
Still to confirm, and when
- November: WMR’s 29 December to 4 January days and its Christmas Eve last trains on National Rail’s Christmas page, and whether Chiltern adds any Stratford to Leamington bus replacement.
- December: Chiltern’s own festive release (it came out on 18 December last year) and Stagecoach’s festive bus times.
We will update this page as each is published. If you are travelling between Christmas and New Year, check your whole journey on the day as well: National Rail says timetables are still being finalised.
Other pages for the season: school term dates, Christmas bin collections and tip opening times.
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