Winter timetable and key Christmas travel changes

The company’s journey planner now includes seasonal service details, timetable changes and advance fares, and is available at GWR.com. 

As part of the timetable change, GWR will retire the Castle Class sets, which are now approaching 50 years old, with the last planned services expected to run on Saturday 13 December. 

These trains currently operate on local routes between Plymouth and Penzance. They will be replaced by GWR’s existing fleet, along with its recommissioned Class 175s, as the fleet is rolled out throughout 2026. 

Christmas and New Year engineering works 

Engineering works will take place over Christmas and New Year when passenger numbers are typically lower. The following services will be affected. 

London-bound services: 27 December to 4 January 

Track renewal work will mean the closure of two of the four lines into London Paddington. 

• No direct services will run between London Paddington and Cheltenham Spa; customers should change at Swindon or Bristol Parkway. 

Maidenhead area: 4 January 

Until around 11am, no trains will run between Hayes & Harlington and Maidenhead. 

• Buses will replace trains between Maidenhead, Slough and Hayes & Harlington. 

• Some GWR and Elizabeth line services will continue between Reading and Maidenhead. 

• Most GWR services for London Paddington will start or terminate at Reading. 

• South Western Railway will operate London Waterloo–Reading services, and Chiltern Railways will run trains between London Marylebone and Oxford. 

• Elizabeth line trains will run between Hayes & Harlington and London Paddington. 

• Services between Slough and Windsor & Eton Central, as well as Heathrow Express trains, will operate as normal. 

Swindon area works: January 

Track renewals and essential maintenance will affect services on Friday 2 January, Saturday 3 January and on further weekends during the month. 

Travellers can find full details of planned engineering works at gwr.com/upgrade.