No trains on Christmas Day, very few on 26 December and early finishes on Christmas Eve. Plus the Bristol to Weston line closures already booked this winter.
There are no trains anywhere on Christmas Day, and on Saturday 26 December most operators run nothing at all. Trains on many routes finish early on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Great Western Railway, which runs the Weston-super-Mare, Worle, Yatton and Nailsea and Backwell trains, has not yet published its Christmas timetable. National Rail says operators start adding their festive plans from the beginning of October.
Before Christmas, the line between Bristol Temple Meads and Weston-super-Mare is already booked to close for two whole weekends in November, with buses replacing trains.
The quick answer
- Friday 25 December: no trains. Saturday 26 December: a very limited service from a small number of operators, details to be confirmed.
- Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve: early finishes on many routes. National Rail’s list of last trains from London is due in late November or early December.
- No trains between Bristol Temple Meads and Weston-super-Mare on the weekends of 14 and 15 November and 21 and 22 November; replacement buses run.
The Christmas and New Year pattern
National Rail’s Christmas guide covers Thursday 24 December 2026 to Monday 4 January 2027 (National Rail, Christmas and New Year travel).
| Date | What National Rail says |
|---|---|
| Thursday 24 December | Services on many routes finish earlier than normal. Do not assume the normal timetable. |
| Friday 25 December | No National Rail services. |
| Saturday 26 December | Most operators run no service; a very limited service from a small number of operators, to be confirmed. |
| Monday 28 December | Boxing Day substitute bank holiday. Services to be confirmed. |
| Thursday 31 December | Services on some routes finish earlier than normal. |
| Friday 1 January | Special late services on some London routes after midnight. |
National Rail also warns that Birmingham New Street will have major engineering work from Thursday 24 to Monday 28 December inclusive, and that journeys to, from or through New Street will be significantly disrupted. If you are travelling north from Bristol for Christmas via Birmingham, plan around those dates.
Network Rail’s list of other major Christmas works has not yet been published; National Rail says it will add it to the same page.
Line closures already booked this winter
These are National Rail’s own engineering notices for the Bristol to Weston-super-Mare line. Its advance notices currently run to mid-December, so any closure over Christmas itself will appear later.
Weekends of 14 to 15 and 21 to 22 November: no trains Bristol to Weston
No trains will run between Bristol Temple Meads and Weston-super-Mare all weekend on both Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 November and Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 November. Buses replace trains in two patterns (National Rail, 14 and 15 November; National Rail, 21 and 22 November):
- a fast bus, hourly, between Bristol Temple Meads and Weston-super-Mare
- a stopping bus, twice an hour, calling at Nailsea and Backwell, Yatton, Worle and Weston Milton, with Weston Milton served hourly in the middle of the day
Trains between Weston-super-Mare and Taunton still run, on an amended timetable. CrossCountry trains between Bristol and Plymouth divert via Bath Spa without stopping, adding up to an hour, and CrossCountry’s Torquay and Paignton trains do not run. The 14 November closure falls on the same Saturday as Fireworks at Sea on the Grand Pier; see our fireworks page if you are coming in from Bristol that evening.
Monday 7 to Thursday 10 December: late trains replaced
All lines between Bristol Temple Meads and Taunton close on those four evenings (National Rail). The changes that hit North Somerset:
- the 20:30 London Paddington to Weston-super-Mare ends at Bristol Temple Meads, with road transport on to Nailsea and Backwell, Yatton, Worle and Weston-super-Mare
- the 22:00 Bristol Temple Meads to Exeter St Davids leaves Weston-super-Mare early, at 22:36
- the 22:43 Exeter St Davids to Bristol does not call at Weston-super-Mare or Yatton; road transport runs from Taunton to those stations
- the 22:44 Taunton to Bristol leaves at 22:15 instead, calling at Weston-super-Mare and Bristol only
Buses over Christmas
First Bus publishes festive timetables for its Bristol, Bath and West network in early December. Last year its notice went up on 5 December 2025 and said Christmas and New Year timetables would run from Monday 22 December 2025 to Friday 2 January 2026 (First Bus, Christmas and New Year service levels 2025). Expect a similar notice this December. The West of England’s Travelwest festive bus page lists services by day.
Parking over Christmas
We found no Christmas free-parking offer from North Somerset Council for 2026, and none published for 2025. What the council does say is that its on-street charges in Weston apply on all bank holidays except Christmas Day and Boxing Day (North Somerset Council). Car park by car park tariffs and the free Sundays are on our parking page, and roadworks on the way to the station are on our roadworks and travel page. For the normal timetable to London, see our North Somerset train times page.
Still to be confirmed
- GWR’s Christmas and New Year timetable for the Weston line: from October onwards.
- Network Rail’s major Christmas works list, and any closure of the Bristol to Weston line between 24 December and 4 January.
- Christmas Eve last trains from London Paddington: late November or early December.
- First Bus festive timetables: early December.
Last checked 25 September 2026.
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