No trains run on 25 December and almost none on the 26th. Last Christmas Eve the last Salisbury stopping train left Waterloo at 21:20. SWR's 2026 plan is due.
There will be no trains at Andover on Christmas Day, Friday 25 December 2026, and National Rail says most operators will run nothing on Saturday 26 December either. South Western Railway, which runs every train through Andover, has not yet published its 2026 Christmas timetable. What it did last year is below, because it tells you where the pinch points are likely to be.
The quick answer
- No trains on Friday 25 December; very few if any on Saturday 26 December. The Boxing Day bank holiday is Monday 28 December this year.
- Last Christmas Eve, the last Salisbury stopping train left Waterloo at 21:20 and the last Exeter train at 18:20.
- SWR’s 2026/27 plan is not out yet. National Rail says operator details go up “from the beginning of October”.
What is confirmed for 2026
National Rail’s Christmas and New Year 2026/27 page, checked on 25 September 2026, says:
- Friday 25 December: no National Rail services anywhere, as usual.
- Saturday 26 December: most operators will have no service, with a very limited service from a small number of them.
- Monday 28 December is the substitute Boxing Day bank holiday.
- Birmingham New Street has major engineering work from Thursday 24 to Monday 28 December, which matters if you are heading north via Reading.
- Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve last-train lists will be published in late November and early December.
On 25 September there was no engineering work notice yet for the line through Andover between Christmas and New Year. National Rail’s published list of planned works has a Salisbury notice for 29 November and one between Basingstoke and Winchester from 23 November, and nothing later on this route.
What happened last Christmas
SWR’s Christmas and New Year travel page still carried its 2025/26 arrangements on 25 September 2026. Andover’s trains are the Salisbury stopping services and the Exeter St Davids services.
Christmas Eve 2025. Services ended before 10pm. The last trains out of London Waterloo on Andover’s line were:
| Service from Waterloo | Last departure, 24 Dec 2025 |
|---|---|
| Exeter St Davids | 18:20 |
| Salisbury (stopping) | 21:20 |
25 and 26 December 2025. No services on the SWR network at all.
27 December 2025 to 4 January 2026. Major engineering work closed the lines between Waterloo and Clapham Junction, and the West of England trains were cut short:
| Dates | Salisbury stopping trains | Exeter trains |
|---|---|---|
| Sat 27 and Sun 28 Dec | Hourly, running to and from Reading | Hourly, to and from Basingstoke |
| Mon 29 and Tue 30 Dec | Two an hour, to and from Basingstoke | Hourly, to and from Basingstoke |
| Wed 31 Dec | Hourly, to and from Basingstoke | Hourly, to and from Waterloo |
| Thu 1 Jan | Hourly, to and from Basingstoke | Hourly, to and from Basingstoke |
| Fri 2 and Sat 3 Jan | Hourly, to and from Basingstoke | Hourly, to and from Waterloo |
So for most of that week, getting from Andover to London meant changing at Basingstoke. On Sunday 4 January 2026 there was separate engineering work between Basingstoke and Andover.
On New Year’s Eve 2025 SWR ran extra trains from Waterloo after midnight, but only as far as Basingstoke: stopping trains at 01:35, 02:10 and 03:10. None ran through to Andover.
Still to be confirmed
- SWR’s 2026/27 Christmas timetable and any engineering blockade. Expected from October.
- Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve last trains. National Rail publishes its lists in late November and early December.
- Bus timetables and any Christmas parking concession from Test Valley Borough Council. Neither is published yet.
Everyday fares and journey times are on our Andover train times to London page. For the roads, see Andover roadworks and travel and parking in Andover. Bins change over Christmas too: see Andover Christmas bin collections.
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