No trains run from Epsom on Christmas Day, and most operators run none on 26 December. Last year's last trains, the Waterloo closures and what is still due.

There will be no trains at all on Christmas Day, Friday 25 December 2026, and National Rail says most operators will run no service on Saturday 26 December either. Services will finish early on Christmas Eve and on some routes on New Year’s Eve. This year the Boxing Day bank holiday falls on Monday 28 December, and what runs that day is still to be confirmed.

Epsom has two operators: South Western Railway to Waterloo and Southern to Victoria and London Bridge. Neither has published its 2026 Christmas timetable yet. Last year SWR’s last train into Epsom from Waterloo on Christmas Eve left at 21:23, and Waterloo was shut for two days after Christmas.

The quick answer

  • Friday 25 December 2026: no National Rail trains anywhere.
  • Saturday 26 December: most operators run nothing, with a very limited service from a few, details to be confirmed.
  • Christmas Eve, Thursday 24 December: trains finish early. Last year’s last direct Waterloo to Epsom train left at 21:23.

What National Rail has confirmed for 2026/27

National Rail’s Christmas and New Year 2026/27 page covers Thursday 24 December 2026 to Monday 4 January 2027. It says:

Date What is confirmed
Thursday 24 December Services on many routes finish earlier than normal. Last-train guide 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 The substitute Boxing Day bank holiday. Services to be confirmed
Thursday 31 December Services on some routes finish earlier than normal
Friday 1 January 2027 Some London routes run special services after midnight. Guide due early December

National Rail says each operator’s own Christmas details will be added “from the beginning of October onwards”, and that a list of major engineering works will follow. None affecting Epsom’s lines had been announced on 25 September.

What happened last Christmas

The 2025 arrangements are the best guide to the shape of this year’s, though the engineering work changes every year.

South Western Railway (Epsom to Waterloo), from SWR’s Christmas travel page and its 15 December 2025 announcement:

  • Christmas Eve 2025: services ended before 10pm. The last Waterloo to Guildford via Epsom train left at 20:53, and an extra direct service to Epsom left Waterloo at 21:23.
  • Christmas Day and Boxing Day: no SWR services.
  • Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 December: no trains between Waterloo and Clapham Junction because of track renewal near Queenstown Road. The Guildford via Epsom line ran hourly, starting and ending at Clapham Junction. SWR’s Dorking trains did not run; SWR told passengers to use Southern from Clapham Junction or Epsom.
  • 29 December to 2 January: Guildford via Epsom trains ran to Waterloo again, hourly on most days and twice an hour on New Year’s Eve.
  • Normal timetable resumed on Monday 5 January 2026.

Southern and Thameslink (Epsom, Sutton and London Bridge), from Network Rail’s 19 November 2025 announcement:

  • No trains on Christmas Day, and “only a limited service” on Boxing Day on some Southern routes.
  • No Thameslink trains between Blackfriars and Sutton, via Mitcham Junction or Wimbledon, from 27 to 31 December 2025, and again on Sunday 4 January 2026.

Network Rail’s 2025 announcement came on 19 November, and SWR’s detailed plan followed in December. Expect a similar timetable this year.

What changes because of the 2026 calendar

Christmas Day falls on a Friday this year, so the two days with no or almost no trains run straight into a weekend. Engineering work is often booked for the quiet days between Christmas and New Year. With the bank holiday on Monday 28 December, that stretch runs from Friday 25 December to Monday 28 December.

Parking and getting into town

Epsom and Ewell Borough Council has not yet announced its 2026 Christmas parking offers. Last year its festive services notice said Sunday parking was free on 7, 14 and 21 December in all borough council car parks, and parking was free in all of them on Christmas Day. The council’s car parks page says Hook Road multi-storey is closed and locked on Christmas Day and bank holidays; the other car parks are open 24 hours.

Our parking in Epsom page has the charges, and roadworks and travel carries any road closures. For everyday times see Epsom trains to London.

Other Christmas pages

Still to be confirmed

  • SWR and Southern Christmas timetables, including last trains on Christmas Eve. National Rail says operator details start appearing in October.
  • Engineering works between 24 December and 4 January. Last year’s announcements came on 19 November and 15 December.
  • Which operators run on Saturday 26 December, and what runs on Monday 28 December.
  • The council’s free parking days for December 2026.

Sources: National Rail Christmas and New Year 2026/27 page; South Western Railway Christmas travel page and 15 December 2025 release; Network Rail, 19 November 2025; Epsom and Ewell Borough Council festive notice 2025 and car parks page. Checked 25 September 2026.