Network Rail has booked major works around Redhill over Christmas 2026. Last year: no Thameslink on Christmas Day, last trains about 9pm on Christmas Eve.
If you are planning a train from Reigate, Redhill, Merstham, Earlswood or Horley over Christmas 2026, the one fact to know now is that Network Rail has already said there will be “significant engineering work” in the Redhill area over Christmas 2026 and New Year 2027. It has not yet said which days or which lines.
That sentence is in Network Rail’s own release of 26 March 2026 (Network Rail), which says “further details will be shared nearer the time”. Redhill is the junction for every line through the borough, so the work is likely to reach Reigate and Horley trains as well as Redhill’s own.
The quick answer
- Redhill-area engineering work is booked for Christmas 2026 and New Year 2027. Days and routes are not published yet.
- Last year Thameslink ran no trains on Christmas Day or Boxing Day, and Southern ran only a very limited Boxing Day service between London, Gatwick and Brighton.
- On Christmas Eve 2025, trains thinned out from about 5pm and the last ones reached their destinations by about 9pm. Metrobus ran route 100 to Redhill on Christmas Day for the first time.
Dates already confirmed for this winter
These closures are published on Southern’s Brighton Main Line page (Southern) and affect journeys from the borough:
| Date | What is closed | What it means locally |
|---|---|---|
| Sat 10 and Sun 11 October 2026 | Three Bridges to Brighton, Hove and Lewes | No direct trains south of Three Bridges from Horley or Redhill; Victoria to Brighton trains divert via Horsham and Littlehampton |
| Christmas 2026 to New Year 2027 | "Significant engineering work" in the Redhill area | Details not yet published |
| Sun 10 January 2027 | Gatwick Airport to Purley and East Croydon | No trains through Horley, Salfords, Earlswood, Redhill or Merstham on that route; bus details to follow |
| Sat 13 to Sun 21 February 2027 | Three Bridges to Brighton, Hove and Lewes, nine days | Trains start and end at Three Bridges; buses beyond |
The February closure covers half term. Southern says it will publish the replacement bus and diverted train plan “later this year”. Journey planners such as National Rail usually load changes about 12 weeks ahead, Southern says, which puts the Christmas timetables into planners from about early October.
What happened last Christmas, day by day
These are 2025/26 arrangements, not this year’s. They come from Thameslink’s festive travel page, which is still live (Thameslink), and Network Rail’s Christmas works release (Rail UK, reproducing Network Rail).
| Day | Service last year |
|---|---|
| 22 and 23 December | Saturday timetable with some extra peak trains |
| Christmas Eve | Saturday timetable until about 5pm, then fewer trains; last trains arrived by about 9pm |
| Christmas Day | No Thameslink trains |
| Boxing Day | No Thameslink; a very limited Southern service on some routes between London, Gatwick Airport and Brighton |
| 27 and 28 December | Normal weekend timetable with engineering changes |
| 29 to 31 December | Saturday timetable with some extra peak trains |
| 1 and 2 January | Amended service with engineering work in some areas |
| Sunday 4 January 2026 | Victoria to Reigate trains ran only between Redhill and Reigate |
| Monday 5 January | Normal service |
This year Christmas Eve falls on a Thursday, Christmas Day on a Friday and Boxing Day on a Saturday, so the pattern will shift. Expect the same shape: a thin Christmas Eve evening and very little on Christmas Day or Boxing Day. Southern’s own 2026 festive page is not yet up.
Buses on Christmas Day and Boxing Day
Metrobus ran a Christmas Day service for the first time on route 100 between Crawley and Redhill in 2025, alongside route 400 (Stone Quarry to Redhill), route 10 and route 200. Gatwick Airport paid towards the Christmas Day and Boxing Day services. On Boxing Day the 100 ran a special timetable and the 400 a Sunday service. On Christmas Eve the last 100 left Redhill bus station at 00:05. From 29 to 31 December most routes ran a Saturday service, with the 318 (Epsom to Banstead) on its school holiday weekday timetable. New Year’s Day was a Sunday service. All of this is from Metrobus’s 2025 holiday page (Metrobus), dated 20 November 2025. The 2024 notice came out on 21 November, so expect this year’s around the same time.
Parking in town over Christmas
Reigate & Banstead has not published Christmas parking concessions for 2026. The one date already fixed is the Reigate Christmas Fayre on Saturday 28 November, when Church Street closes; see our Reigate Christmas lights page for the details and our parking in Reigate page for car parks and charges.
Still to be confirmed
- Redhill-area Christmas works: which days and which lines. Network Rail says “nearer the time”; timetables should reach journey planners from about October.
- Christmas Eve last trains 2026: operators publish their festive pages in late November.
- Metrobus Christmas Day routes 2026: last two years announced on 20 and 21 November.
- Council Christmas parking offers, if any.
We will update this page as each is published.
Sources
- Network Rail release, 26 March 2026: Network Rail media centre
- Brighton Main Line closures: Southern
- Festive travel 2025/26: Thameslink
- Christmas bus services 2025: Metrobus
Last checked 24 September 2026.
More from Reigate News: trains to London, roadworks and travel, Christmas bin collections and tip opening times.
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