No trains from Welwyn Garden City or Hatfield on Christmas Day, and last year none on Boxing Day. What runs 24 December to 4 January, plus bank holiday parking.
There will be no trains from Welwyn Garden City, Hatfield or Welwyn North on Christmas Day, Friday 25 December 2026. That is the same every year. Last year there were no Thameslink trains on Boxing Day either, and the Christmas Eve service thinned out from about 5pm. The engineering work for Christmas 2026 on the King’s Cross line has not been announced yet, and nor have Great Northern’s and Thameslink’s day-by-day plans. This page sets out what is confirmed, what happened last year, and when the rest is due.
The quick answer
- No National Rail trains on Friday 25 December 2026, and on Boxing Day, Saturday 26 December, most operators run nothing (National Rail, Christmas and New Year 2026/27)
- Christmas Eve finishes early. In 2025 Thameslink ran a Saturday timetable until about 5pm, then fewer trains, with the last reaching their destinations by around 9pm (Thameslink, festive period 2025, updated 8 December 2025)
- Council car parks are free on the three bank holidays, 25 and 28 December and 1 January, except Kennelwood Lane in Hatfield (Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council)
Day by day, 24 December 2026 to 4 January 2027
The calendar is awkward this year. Christmas Day is a Friday and Boxing Day a Saturday, so the Boxing Day bank holiday moves to Monday 28 December (GOV.UK, bank holidays). National Rail’s page covers 24 December to 4 January. The right-hand column is what Thameslink, which calls at Welwyn Garden City alongside Great Northern, ran last year. Great Northern’s own festive page for 2025 is no longer online.
| Date | Confirmed for 2026/27 | Last year (Thameslink, 2025/26) |
|---|---|---|
| Thu 24 December | Services on many routes finish earlier than normal | Saturday timetable with extra peak trains until about 17:00; last trains at destinations by about 21:00 |
| Fri 25 December | No National Rail services | No trains |
| Sat 26 December | Most operators run nothing; a very limited service from a small number | No Thameslink trains |
| Sun 27 December | Not yet published | 27 Dec 2025 was a Saturday: normal Saturday service with engineering changes |
| Mon 28 December | Substitute bank holiday; not yet published | Weekdays 29 to 31 Dec ran a Saturday timetable with extra peak trains |
| Tue 29 and Wed 30 December | Not yet published | Saturday timetable with extra peak trains |
| Thu 31 December | Services on some routes finish earlier than normal | Saturday timetable; Blackfriars exit-only from 20:30 and no trains calling there from 23:30 to 02:00 |
| Fri 1 January | Some London routes run special services into the early hours | Amended service with engineering work |
| Sat 2 to Mon 4 January | Not yet published | Amended service on 2 January; weekend timetables; normal service from Monday 5 January |
The only major closure National Rail has named for this Christmas so far is Birmingham New Street, from Thursday 24 to Monday 28 December. It advises checking and re-checking journeys because timetables “are still being finalised”.
What happened on this line last Christmas
Thameslink’s 2025 plan named no closure between London and Welwyn Garden City or Hatfield. Two pieces of work further along the route are worth knowing about.
- Royston to Cambridge North was closed from Saturday 27 December 2025 to Sunday 4 January 2026, with buses and a revised service between King’s Cross and Royston. It was tied to signalling upgrades and preparation for Cambridge South station. Anyone going on to Cambridge had to change to a bus.
- Sunday 4 January 2026 had no Thameslink trains through central London, and King’s Cross to Royston and Peterborough ran to an amended timetable.
Network Rail’s 18 December 2025 preview of its Christmas work said testing runs for the new digital signalling would be carried out between Welwyn and Hitchin over the holiday (Network Rail, major progress on projects this Christmas). No Christmas 2026 possession on this stretch has been announced.
Buses and parking
Arriva runs a Sunday timetable on bank holidays across Hertfordshire and Essex, but its published list stops at the August bank holiday and has nothing yet for Christmas (Arriva, bank holidays).
In council car parks, bank holidays are charged at Sunday rates, and only Kennelwood Lane, Hatfield charges on a Sunday, so everywhere else is free on 25 December, 28 December and 1 January. Resident permit schemes are not enforced on bank holidays, but double yellow lines, disabled bays and loading restrictions still are. The council has not announced any extra Christmas shopping concession for 2026. Tariffs for every car park are on our parking in Welwyn Garden City page.
What is still to be confirmed
- Great Northern and Thameslink’s day-by-day festive timetable for 2026/27, including last trains on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Last year’s page was updated on 8 December; the 2026 version is due in early December.
- Any engineering work on the King’s Cross line between 24 December and 4 January. It will appear on National Rail’s Christmas page first.
- Arriva’s Christmas and New Year bus timetables.
Related
- Welwyn Garden City train times to London
- Welwyn Garden City roadworks and travel
- Welwyn Garden City bin days, including the Christmas changes
- Welwyn Hatfield school term dates: Christmas holidays run 21 December to 1 January
Have your say