No trains between Slough and Paddington 27 to 30 December; buses run to Ealing Broadway. Dolphin Junction work also shuts the line on 28 and 29 November.
There will be no trains between Slough and London Paddington from Sunday 27 to Wednesday 30 December. All lines between the two close for work at Dolphin Junction, near Slough. Replacement buses will run from Slough to Ealing Broadway, where passengers change to the Underground.
The disruption runs on to Sunday 3 January in a reduced form. A full weekend closure comes first, on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 November, when no trains run between Maidenhead and Paddington at all.
National Rail published the plans on its Dolphin Junction project page and in a planned engineering notice covering 26 December to 3 January.
Why the line is closing
Network Rail is installing new points operating equipment at the junction. National Rail says more than 400 trains and 100,000 passengers pass through it every day, and that the new equipment is meant to make journeys through the Thames Valley more reliable.
It is the second Christmas running that Dolphin Junction has been worked on. Last year the points were renewed and two of the four tracks stayed open from 27 December to 4 January, so trains kept running on an amended timetable. This year every line between Slough and Paddington closes for the first four days.
Day by day: getting from Slough to London
| Dates | Elizabeth line | Great Western Railway | How to get to London |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 25 and Sat 26 Dec | No trains | No trains | No National Rail services on Christmas Day; the line stays shut on Boxing Day |
| Sun 27 to Wed 30 Dec | No trains between Paddington and Reading | No trains between Slough and Paddington; an amended service runs between Slough and Reading | Replacement bus from Slough to Ealing Broadway or Hillingdon, then the Underground |
| Thu 31 Dec to Sat 2 Jan | No trains between Hayes & Harlington and Reading | Trains run between Slough and Reading | Replacement bus from Slough to Hayes & Harlington, then the Elizabeth line |
| Sun 3 Jan | No trains between Hayes & Harlington and Reading | Trains run between Maidenhead and Reading | Replacement bus between Hayes & Harlington and stations to Maidenhead, including Slough |
The two National Rail sources differ slightly on the last weekend. The engineering notice says it is “not yet known” how the Elizabeth line will run on 2 and 3 January. The project page sets out the plan above. Check again closer to the time.
Heathrow, Windsor and long-distance trains
- Heathrow Airport: no Elizabeth line or Heathrow Express trains run from 27 to 30 December. The Piccadilly line is the only rail link from central London to the airport on those days. Both services resume on New Year’s Eve.
- The Windsor branch: trains between Slough and Windsor & Eton Central run normally throughout, as do Maidenhead to Marlow and Twyford to Henley.
- Trains to the west: no long-distance trains run between Reading and Paddington from 27 December to 3 January. Bristol and South Wales trains divert to London Euston via Oxford and Milton Keynes, without calling at either. Trains from the south-west, Hereford and Worcester start and finish at Reading.
The November weekend
On Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 November no trains run between Maidenhead or Heathrow and Paddington.
- The only Elizabeth line trains are two an hour between Reading and Maidenhead.
- Replacement buses run between Maidenhead and Slough, and between Slough and Ealing Broadway.
- Heathrow has no Elizabeth line or Heathrow Express trains all weekend.
- Late on the Saturday, the last two trains each way between Slough and Windsor & Eton Central are replaced by buses.
Tickets you can use instead
Over Christmas, National Rail tickets are accepted at no extra cost on several other routes. For Elizabeth line passengers that means the Piccadilly line to and from Heathrow, and Great Western trains between Reading and Slough. Great Western passengers can use:
- Chiltern Railways between Oxford and London Marylebone
- South Western Railway between Reading and London Waterloo
- South Western Railway between Windsor & Eton Riverside and London Waterloo
Windsor & Eton Riverside is a short walk from Windsor & Eton Central, which Slough trains serve as normal. If you pay by contactless or Oyster, National Rail says you can use the same alternatives but pay the normal fare for them.
What it means for you
- Travelling to London between 27 and 30 December: allow for a bus to Ealing Broadway and the Underground from there. National Rail warns the replacement buses may be busier than usual.
- Flying from Heathrow in those four days: there is no train from Slough to the airport. Allow for getting there by road.
- New Year’s Eve in London: the Elizabeth line runs again from Hayes & Harlington, with buses from Slough to Hayes. Last trains home are not published yet.
- Working on Tuesday 29 or Wednesday 30 December: there is no direct train to London on either day. Monday 28 December is the substitute Boxing Day bank holiday.
Normal fares and journey times are on our Slough trains to London page. The rest of the holiday picture, including bins and the tip, is on our Slough Christmas travel page, and road closures are on Slough roadworks and travel.
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