The cheapest days to fly for Thanksgiving and Christmas in 2026

From December 25th to January 4th, significant railway engineering work will cause 10 days of disruption for travelers across Great Britain. London Paddington station, one of the UK's busiest, will be closed for five days starting Christmas Eve, impacting intercity trains heading west to England and Wales. Birmingham New Street, the busiest station outside London, will also be shut for five days, from Christmas Eve to December 29th, to replace overhead power supplies.

Passengers traveling between London, northeast England, and Scotland will face partial closures of the east coast mainline on Christmas Eve, with rail replacement buses replacing trains between Newark and York, adding two hours to journeys. Direct trains from London to Essex and Norfolk will be cut for much of the festive period.

Network Rail aims to conduct around £152 million worth of works during this period, focusing on improving reliability and capacity. Most routes will remain open, with the engineering work scheduled during the quieter holiday days. However, the Elizabeth line services west of Paddington and Heathrow Express services will not resume until January 31st.

Birmingham New Street will remain closed throughout the holiday period, with rail replacement buses serving the city center. Passengers using the east coast mainline should avoid travel on Christmas Eve, and the Great Eastern mainline out of London Liverpool Street will be closed for 10 days, affecting Greater Anglia and Elizabeth line services.

TransPennine services between Leeds and Manchester will also be slowed for six weeks from Christmas Day due to Huddersfield station closure. Network Rail's group director, Anit Chandarana, expressed regret for the disruption, emphasizing that these works were conducted during the quietest time of the year to minimize impact on the traveling public.