December 2026 Timetable Change

[dk1]

Does this now fill all the remaining gaps to give Liverpool two trains per hour to London Euston all day? A mere 4 years after the date Avanti promised them?

I suppose that promise was pre-pandemic so it no longer carries water. These things tend to slip even in a perfect world anyway.

 

[London Trains]

I mostly agree with the idea, but the busiest passenger flows from both Parkstone and Branksome are to London Waterloo so losing that connection would seriously hurt usage at these stations.
Though if it means that a 444 could be reutilised in a place where it'd carry more passengers (such as the PDL) then it'd still be a better utilisation of rolling stock, however it wouldn't be a popular move among Bournemouth/Poole area residents.

Branksome and Parkstone wouldn't lose their direct connection to/from London in this scenario, as the xx35 from Waterloo (which is much faster than the xx05 between Waterloo and Branksome/Parkstone) would still continue to serve them - whilst it would be a halving in frequency to Waterloo, which isn't ideal, it isn't a major disadvantage as they would maintain their fastest service to Waterloo, and the overall service at the two stations would probably be better spaced out as the services are currently 45 and 15 minutes apart.

 

[HamworthyGoods]

I wonder if it would be possible to path an hourly Portsmouth to Poole service using single 450s, replacing the Portsmouth to Southampton stopper, Southampton to Bournemouth stopper and the Bournemouth to Poole portions of the xx05 Waterloo to Weymouth (with the rear unit of this service changed to go in and out of the middle sidings at Bournemouth, joining the previous service from the one it joins now, therefore saving a 444 which could be reallocated to the Portsmouth Direct Line), alongside a reinstated xx39 semi-fast only running as far as Southampton, using 8 or 12-coach 450s - such an arrangement could potentially be quite an efficient use of resources if the pathing works.

You don’t save a 444 but not running the Poole portion off the xx.05 ex Waterloo. The turnaround time at Bournemouth is insufficient to step the stock up an hour (the Weymouth portion departs at xx.04 and arrives at xx.17 on the up. 13 minutes isn’t an appropriate turnaround for a journey of that length (especially with a shunt move).

If you look at the equivalent Weymouth trains on a Sunday where the detaching portion would at first glance have that short a turnaround you will see they step back an hour at Bournemouth.

That is why before it was converted to a passenger working the detaching portion ran ECS via Poole sidings anyway.

 

[Boston Poacher]

RTT suggests Sleaford-Matlock with the December timetable change

 

[CR165022]

Something I really do appreciate with Chiltern's change is the re-timing of the Aylesbury-Marylebone via Amersham services. Currently, they're time to depart at xx18 & xx48, and the shuttle service from Princes Risborough arrives at the exact same time at xx18 & xx48 at many times of the day. After the change, the Marylebone services will leave at xx21 & xx51, allowing connection times.

Because I must say, having been on a service from Risborough and seeing a Marylebone service departing right at the same time as I'm arriving was quite frustrating! Also nice to see those services in themselves are going back to half hourly instead of the current hour gaps during the day.

 

[Class 170101]

Additional 1W87 16:22 Bury St Edmunds to Ipswich

Realtime Trains | 1W87 1622 Bury St Edmunds to Ipswich | 14/12/2026

Real-time train running information for 1W87 1622 departure from Bury St Edmunds to Ipswich on 14/12/2026. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[Watershed]

Something I really do appreciate with Chiltern's change is the re-timing of the Aylesbury-Marylebone via Amersham services. Currently, they're time to depart at xx18 & xx48, and the shuttle service from Princes Risborough arrives at the exact same time at xx18 & xx48 at many times of the day. After the change, the Marylebone services will leave at xx21 & xx51, allowing connection times.

Because I must say, having been on a service from Risborough and seeing a Marylebone service departing right at the same time as I'm arriving was quite frustrating! Also nice to see those services in themselves are going back to half hourly instead of the current hour gaps during the day.

The minimum connection time at Aylesbury is 5 mins so these won't be official connections.

 

[sammyg901]

I had a closer look at the Chiltern changes and noticed a few more things about the evening peak

• No more TWTh timetable - it's consistent M-F (though lengths/allocations may differ still at least on a Fri I suspect)
• There are net 3 new Banbury services at 1711 , 1814 and 1841 . These are all timed to be Explorer operated. This allows the Birmingham/Stourbridge Junction services to all be first stop Bicester North
• The 1815 Oxford is replaced by 2 x Oxford services -a 100mph pathed 1811 going to Haddenham & Thame Parkway and Bicester Village and on to Oxford and a slower 1817
• Met line via Amersham also gains net one departure - slightly curiously todays 1641 Aylesbury Vale Parkway is now a 1631 fast to Aylesbury and 1637 all stations to Aylesbury Vale Parkway. I am not a regular user of the 1641 but suspect it's to address overcrowding

It's harder to analyse the morning peak but it feels a bit slower - most long distance services doing a "commuter" call at High Wycombe/Beaconsfield/Gerrards Cross etc . But I suspect this matches with demand. Chiltern carries quite a bit of off peak traffic in the evening peak that is avoiding Euston restrictions & lots of day trippers who came in off peak want to go back in the peak

 

[CR165022]

I had a closer look at the Chiltern changes and noticed a few more things about the evening peak

• No more TWTh timetable - it's consistent M-F (though lengths/allocations may differ still at least on a Fri I suspect)
• There are net 3 new Banbury services at 1711 , 1814 and 1841 . These are all timed to be Explorer operated. This allows the Birmingham/Stourbridge Junction services to all be first stop Bicester North
• The 1815 Oxford is replaced by 2 x Oxford services -a 100mph pathed 1811 going to Haddenham & Thame Parkway and Bicester Village and on to Oxford and a slower 1817
• Met line via Amersham also gains net one departure - slightly curiously todays 1641 Aylesbury Vale Parkway is now a 1631 fast to Aylesbury and 1637 all stations to Aylesbury Vale Parkway. I am not a regular user of the 1641 but suspect it's to address overcrowding

It's harder to analyse the morning peak but it feels a bit slower - most long distance services doing a "commuter" call at High Wycombe/Beaconsfield/Gerrards Cross etc . But I suspect this matches with demand. Chiltern carries quite a bit of off peak traffic in the evening peak that is avoiding Euston restrictions & lots of day trippers who came in off peak want to go back in the peak

There's a few extra morning services, I believe there's a 1H15 starting from Leamington Spa. There's also an additional on the MET, with 1C08 being added between 2C07 & 2C11. I've also noticed there's finally an earlier service out of Marylebone to Aylesbury, 2B05 leaving at 0601, although rather oddly it waits at Stoke Mandeville for 6 minutes.

The current 1H10 & 1H12 services starting from Princes Risborough are getting extended, with 1H10 starting Moor Street & 1H12 starting Banbury, with new 1H09 & 1H13 being Risborough starters instead.

 

[greataj]

Interestingly, Luton to Rainham services are curtailed to Kentish Town during off peak SX and Saturdays, clockwise Sutton loop services are extended to Luton in their place

Trains at Luton on 16/12/2026 | Rail Record

Live Train Times for Luton - Search passenger and freight services at Luton

live.rail-record.co.uk

Interesting change and one I see logic in.

Luton Airport gaining direct service from Hendon and Cricklewood is a nice little addition and means the airport now gets a full, all stations service towards St Pancras. The only slight negative to that is it means any less familiar airport passengers heading into Central London that jump on a Sutton bound service will pay the price in added journey time even more so than they would now by taking a Rainham service.

Radlett is arguably the main loser. They go from 6tph to 4tph in the off-peaks like several other stations but to add to that, the fastest journeys to St Pancras during the off-peaks go from 26 to 32 mins.

 

[sammyg901]

There's a few extra morning services, I believe there's a 1H15 starting from Leamington Spa. There's also an additional on the MET, with 1C08 being added between 2C07 & 2C11. I've also noticed there's finally an earlier service out of Marylebone to Aylesbury, 2B05 leaving at 0601, although rather oddly it waits at Stoke Mandeville for 6 minutes.

The current 1H10 & 1H12 services starting from Princes Risborough are getting extended, with 1H10 starting Moor Street & 1H12 starting Banbury, with new 1H09 & 1H13 being Risborough starters instead.

Looks like "congestion" at Aylesbury - there is an ECS booked on platform 2 waiting to go to Aylesbury Vale Parkway, but it needs to wait for the inbound to reach 3 before it can leave and free up space for 2B05 to enter Aylesbury. 1C08 (and 1B47 MYB-AYS) is slightly of interest as usually anything "fast" has originated / terminated at AVP for as long as I can remember, maybe always!

 

[Bald Rick]

Radlett is arguably the main loser. They go from 6tph to 4tph in the off-peaks like several other stations but to add to that, the fastest journeys to St Pancras during the off-peaks go from 26 to 32 mins.

Also Elstree, Mill Hill Broadway, and Brent Cross West lose the same services.

 

[NCT]

'We are building a massive new town and opened a new railway station to serve it. We'll cut its services.'

 

[greataj]

Also Elstree, Mill Hill Broadway, and Brent Cross West lose the same services.

Indeed which is why I site Radlett as worst impacted since you must now call at all stations on all off-peak services towards St Pancras, with the journey time that adds.

 

[NorthKent1989]

In regards to the Luton end of the Medway Thameslink route I wonder if eventually they’ll extend a Catford service to top up the service levels lost at the aforementioned stations (Radlett, Elstree, Mill Hill Broadway and Brent Cross West) or perhaps resurrect Maidstone and run it as a Luton-Maidstone service? Extending the Suttons seems to be a short term solution

 

[Watershed]

Seems very poor for a massive new station opened at a cost of £419m to have its service reduced shortly after opening.

Now yes, the current 6tph service isn't evenly spaced so you don't get the full benefit of the frequency but it does mean that for the parts of the hour where the extra services run, you have an effective lower headway.

Can't help but feel that this is just an excuse for further cost cutting driven by the government under the guise of 'reliability'.

 

[Mattplans]

Extending the Suttons seems to be a short term solution

I think Luton - Orpington being restored all day is more likely. But we're probably still about 3 timetable changes away from that happening.

 

[800002]

If Chilterns' Birmingham services are going to be showing both standard and first class; plus reservations available - does this mean any service operated with first class availability can be reserved in 1st / sold a 1st class ticket with reservations?

Noticed the addition of first in a number of the Birmingham schedules.

 

[FenMan]

A, possibly controversial, change on the North Downs Line.

On weekdays the 0500 Reading - Redhill all stations stopper has been replaced by a 0505 Reading - Gatwick Airport semi-fast service, arriving at 0626.

While this plugs one of the hourly early morning gaps in the Reading - Gatwick service, it also has the effect of pushing back the first eastbound train at the minor stations by nearly an hour. That said, if the the rail usage figures are to be believed, the stopper is extremely lightly used and virtually no passengers are boarding or alighting at these stations anyway.

 

[Class 466]

In regards to the Luton end of the Medway Thameslink route I wonder if eventually they’ll extend a Catford service to top up the service levels lost at the aforementioned stations (Radlett, Elstree, Mill Hill Broadway and Brent Cross West) or perhaps resurrect Maidstone and run it as a Luton-Maidstone service? Extending the Suttons seems to be a short term solution

Maidstone is more than dead and buried - Southeastern have made a huge success out of Maidstone - Charing X and would face quite the backlash if it was removed.

 

[43074]

In regards to the Luton end of the Medway Thameslink route I wonder if eventually they’ll extend a Catford service to top up the service levels lost at the aforementioned stations (Radlett, Elstree, Mill Hill Broadway and Brent Cross West) or perhaps resurrect Maidstone and run it as a Luton-Maidstone service? Extending the Suttons seems to be a short term solution

I don't see why extending the Suttons to Luton would be a 'short term solution' given it has been done on Sundays for a few years now. Before May '18 the Sutton Loop worked on a similar pattern of 2tph from Luton and 2tph from St Albans.

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I think Luton - Orpington being restored all day is more likely. But we're probably still about 3 timetable changes away from that happening.

Luton to Orpington never ran all day in the first place, it ran as Kentish Town to Orpington for a brief period in December 2019 if I remember rightly but Covid happened and it didn't last - I can't see 6tph off peak on the MML suburban services being restored anytime soon, if they were busy off peak they wouldn't be being removed in December.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

Maidstone is more than dead and buried - Southeastern have made a huge success out of Maidstone - Charing X and would face quite the backlash if it was removed.

Indeed and for County town of Kent and its largest conurbation its been the poor relation for too many years so good to see SE targeting it and getting it upto half hourly service throughout the day.

 

[Ian Hardy]

Indeed and for County town of Kent and its largest conurbation its been the poor relation for too many years so good to see SE targeting it and getting it upto half hourly service throughout the day.

I agree that Maidstone is Kent's largest town (113,000) but the Medway conurbation has a population of 243,900 therefore is more than twice the size of Maidstone. Medway is a unitary authority, but it is still within the county of Kent, however Kent County Council has nothing to do with Medway.

 

[moonarrow458]

The 15:08 St Albans Abbey to Watford Junction on weekdays is extended in service to Euston however will have quite a slow path 24 minutes from Watford to Euston "non-stop" and dwells 11 minutes at Watford Junction

The Sunday morning express 08:58 Birmingham New Street to Redditch service gains a call at University

All services from Redditch on a Sunday are retimed to depart 3 minutes later and run 3 mins later throughout

 

[GoneSouth]

The industry is the taxpayer.

And as a tax payer I’d rather see the railway shifting as many people as possible rather than a few who can afford to pay more. I know this idea will be destroyed immediately but pricing the Gatwick Express to encourage more airport users would benefit other stopping services by not having them cluttered with people and luggage from the airport. Everybody wins.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Jun 2026 ==

.

It also depends where those passengers are heading to. Thameslink serves London Bridge & the Elizabeth line at Farringdon, and regular Southern services serve Clapham Junction (interchange with SWR services etc). Even if there was no premium fares some passengers will still not use it as they don't want to head to London Victoria.

So if not many people want to head to London Victoria and they have to charge a premium to run the service, just bin it. Seeing empty trains taking valuable paths that can be used by trains with people on them is ridiculous. Enhance other services that people do use to fill the gaps, more winners than losers.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Jun 2026 ==

So what is the “not Stansted Express” fare from Liverpool Street to Stansted AirPort and what is the “Stansted Express” fare?
That the fare to the Airport is disproportionally high compared to Elsenham or Mountfitchet is a different issue to there being two fares on the same flow depending on what train you use.

Doesn’t a simple ticket split solve that?

 

[BrianB]

I don't see why extending the Suttons to Luton would be a 'short term solution' given it has been done on Sundays for a few years now. Before May '18 the Sutton Loop worked on a similar pattern of 2tph from Luton and 2tph from St Albans.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 24 Jun 2026 ==


Luton to Orpington never ran all day in the first place, it ran as Kentish Town to Orpington for a brief period in December 2019 if I remember rightly but Covid happened and it didn't last - I can't see 6tph off peak on the MML suburban services being restored anytime soon, if they were busy off peak they wouldn't be being removed in December.

I dont have access to any data, but arent they more than likely carting around fresh air north of London? If so they need to be binned. 4tph offpeak is enough surely.

 

[NCT]

I dont have access to any data, but arent they more than likely carting around fresh air north of London? If so they need to be binned. 4tph offpeak is enough surely.

They go through areas with similar population density as the Northern and Jubilee lines with lots of housing developments.

 

[bramling]

I dont have access to any data, but arent they more than likely carting around fresh air north of London? If so they need to be binned. 4tph offpeak is enough surely.

Depends. 4tph of 8-car trains isn’t a bad service, and the problem with the Rainham service is that it was 2tph so didn’t fit evenly with the 4tph except when uplifted during peak hours when the Orpington trains also ran through. I’m sure the likes of Radlett appreciated having slightly faster trains though.

 

[BrianB]

They go through areas with similar population density as the Northern and Jubilee lines with lots of housing developments.

yes, but both tube lines are totally within the built up Greater London area, say 100% housing coverage. Elstree and Radlett are outside the GLA boundary and whilst sizeable in themselves I cant see that they justify 6tph off peak. Mill Hill Bwy is within London but anyone living to the westside has the Jubilee on their doorstep and they dont stop at Hendon or Cricklewood anyway. Like I say I have no access to internal data anymore, but would be interested to know the overall total loadings of each of the 8 car 6tph south of St Albans. If they justify 6tph they wouldnt be being pulled I'm sure.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Jun 2026 ==

Depends. 4tph of 8-car trains isn’t a bad service, and the problem with the Rainham service is that it was 2tph so didn’t fit evenly with the 4tph except when uplifted during peak hours when the Orpington trains also ran through. I’m sure the likes of Radlett appreciated having slightly faster trains though.

I would say that for most folk a standard interval service is more appealing than saving a few minutes. If it could be run at a regular 10 minute interval, and call at all stations, like a proper metro service then that ought to be more appealing, but can you seriously justify a 10 minute frequency on that line? Personally I think not, but am happy to be corrected

 

[Zeremony]

I would say that for most folk a standard interval service is more appealing than saving a few minutes. If it could be run at a regular 10 minute interval, and call at all stations, like a proper metro service then that ought to be more appealing, but can you seriously justify a 10 minute frequency on that line? Personally I think not, but am happy to be corrected

I agree, but it would be hard to operate an evenly spaced 6tph service when 4tph come from the Suttons who already have a standard interval.