December 2026 Timetable Change

[splashoutradio]

Whilst the South East isn't yet covered unfortunately, however PDF versions of the December 2026 timetable change were updated and uploaded to RailwayData last night, should they be of interest to anyone.

The usual caveats apply: these are early editions - errors, changes and missing trains are all likely before the timetable goes live, so please don't treat them as gospel.

 

[STKKK46]

That is the plan for next year

LNR will have 2 paths and WMR 0 via Darlaston then? What will the second path be for? Or have I misread?

 

[cle]

LNR will have 2 paths and WMR 0 via Darlaston then? What will the second path be for? Or have I misread?

I had thought it was

New St - Darlaston - Wolves / Shrewsbury
Wolves - Darlaston - Walsall

And then the Manchester Airport came along. I didn’t realize it would be a swap.

Is the current path it would retake via Sandwell & Dudley unused today?

 

[Bald Rick]

LNR will have 2 paths and WMR 0 via Darlaston then? What will the second path be for? Or have I misread?

They are the same operator.

AIUI for May 27 the proposal is the Crewe - Birmingham service and a Wolves - Walsall shuttle via Darlo.
Shrewsbury - Birmingham via Tipton.

This could of course change between now and the timetable priority date in a couple of weeks (when the timetable development process for May 27 starts formally).

 

[yorksrob]

Whilst the South East isn't yet covered unfortunately, however PDF versions of the December 2026 timetable change were updated and uploaded to RailwayData last night, should they be of interest to anyone.

The usual caveats apply: these are early editions - errors, changes and missing trains are all likely before the timetable goes live, so please don't treat them as gospel.

TPE appears to have given up on Middlesbrough in timetable 095. There appears to be nothing whatsoever between the 19:14 departure towards York and the 22:20 (which needless to say, still doesn't get to Leeds until 23:45 which is utterly useless for connections).

It's almost as though the industry has a vendetta against Whitby passengers.

 

[HamworthyGoods]

TPE appears to have given up on Middlesbrough in timetable 095. There appears to be nothing whatsoever between the 19:14 departure towards York and the 22:20 (which needless to say, still doesn't get to Leeds until 23:45 which is utterly useless for connections).

It's almost as though the industry has a vendetta against Whitby passengers.

As quoted in the link, this is an early version with trains still missing. We are still months outside the 12 week booking horizon.

TPE have no service reductions for December 26.

 

[Segedunum]

TPE appears to have given up on Middlesbrough in timetable 095. There appears to be nothing whatsoever between the 19:14 departure towards York and the 22:20 (which needless to say, still doesn't get to Leeds until 23:45 which is utterly useless for connections).

It's almost as though the industry has a vendetta against Whitby passengers.

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/detailed/gb-nr:MBR/2027-01-06/0000-2359?stp=WVS&show=all&order=wtt&toc=TP

Not quite. Hourly service all evening.

The units would need to get back to York anyway from Middlesbrough/Redcar/Saltburn.

 

[hux385]

Looks like the extra XC trains to Glasgow Central are no more It was too good to be true

 

[Avenger20]

Looks like the extra XC trains to Glasgow Central are no more It was too good to be true

As has been stated numerous times - the feed you're seeing in RTT is not final.

 

[yorksrob]

As quoted in the link, this is an early version with trains still missing. We are still months outside the 12 week booking horizon.

TPE have no service reductions for December 26.

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/detailed/gb-nr:MBR/2027-01-06/0000-2359?stp=WVS&show=all&order=wtt&toc=TP

Not quite. Hourly service all evening.

The units would need to get back to York anyway from Middlesbrough/Redcar/Saltburn.

That's better news then. Hopefully something will feed through from the Whitby line to Leeds at a reasonable time, but we'll have to see.

 

[Railsecrets]

As quoted in the link, this is an early version with trains still missing. We are still months outside the 12 week booking horizon.

TPE have no service reductions for December 26.

Even then, there’s no changes planned for TPE on the north route in December
. As there’s a big change coming at the end of January, following the Huddersfield blockade where local services are reinstated between Huddersfield and Leeds/Bradford.

At current P1 and P2 see no changes, Eastbound services will use the new P5, with local Huddersfield to Leeds Stopper‘s using the new P6. With the Huddersfield to Bradford services using P4, which used to be P8 pre-works.

its also clear to see that P3 for now will be kept as a clear line/route or closed.

 

[amn]

Looks like the extra XC trains to Glasgow Central are no more It was too good to be true

Still in the timetable, just down to start from February for now.
As with anything though until it's actually advertised to the public I'd treat it with a large quantity of salt.

 

[AWK]

Any plans for Northern to finally reinstate the services they withdrew in South Yorkshire during Covid? - the 2nd hourly Doncaster - Sheffield stopper, the hourly Sheffield - Gainsborough Central stopper (thus allowing the Leeds - Lincoln to return to being a 'semi-fast') and restoring Doncaster - Scunthorpe to hourly, or have all those gone for good?

 

[Krystal]

Since COVID the Dartford lines on SE have been reduced to a questionable level - made evident when XR opened and Abbey Wood and Woolwich still only got 4tph plus 2tph on Thameslink to London Bridge. Other anomalies caused by the pandemic include the odd one out 1tph Dartford to Charing Cross via Bexleyheath, and Sidcup not having a direct link to the North Kent.
In the December timetable change, this is fixed. There is now:
- 6tph from Sidcup to London Bridge
- 4tph from Bexleyheath to London Bridge, plus 2tph to Victoria
- 6tph from Woolwich to London Bridge (4tph via Greenwich, 2tph Lewisham), plus 2tph on Thameslink
- 10tph Dartford to any London terminal
- 2tph each way Greenwich-Sidcup

Still no good Medway service though.

 

[Mattplans]

Since COVID the Dartford lines on SE have been reduced to a questionable level - made evident when XR opened and Abbey Wood and Woolwich still only got 4tph plus 2tph on Thameslink to London Bridge. Other anomalies caused by the pandemic include the odd one out 1tph Dartford to Charing Cross via Bexleyheath, and Sidcup not having a direct link to the North Kent.
In the December timetable change, this is fixed. There is now:
- 6tph from Sidcup to London Bridge
- 4tph from Bexleyheath to London Bridge, plus 2tph to Victoria
- 6tph from Woolwich to London Bridge (4tph via Greenwich, 2tph Lewisham), plus 2tph on Thameslink
- 10tph Dartford to any London terminal
- 2tph each way Greenwich-Sidcup

Still no good Medway service though.

Has Sidcup ever had an all day Medway service post HS1 (continuing after Gravesend)? I don’t think so. Highest demand has always come from Woolwich even pre Eliz Line.

 

[Phillipimo]

I was looking through SWR on RTT and found some additional trains and changes I haven't seen mentioned.

Additional train (notes)

SX 2P49 16:15 Waterloo to Haslemere
(Forms 2P60 starts Haslemere vice Fareham) (2P58 starts Fareham vice Portsmouth & Southsea)

SX 1G26 09:24 Petersfield to Waterloo
(Forms from 2P15 07:45 Waterloo to Portsmouth & Southsea cut back to Petersfield)

SX 1A63 19:53 Waterloo to Farnham

FSX 2F90 07:36 Woking to Waterloo
(Current 2F90 becomes 2F88) (2F92 now starts West Byfleet vice Woking)

 

[Starmill]

I heard on another thread that the plan was that LNR would take over WMRs current path

You might already know this, but they've never used two or more separate business manager codes, as GTR do*. They also have all the same staff doing everything. And they use the same trains on both sets of brands, even though most of the trains are all one colour or the other now. The information systems at stations also physically can't distinguish between them, they had to have local rules set up on each information system, which was done inconsistently at different stations. Also, the operator name on journey planners has never distinguished, and the long form name for LM recently changes from "West Midlands Trains" to WMR & LNR. So in practice, despite there being two separate near identical websites and two sets of colours on trains and in publications, no distinction has ever existed.

*GTR also use the "wrong" ones of theirs regularly, TL on STP trains from London Victoria for example.

 

[Wiganlad]

TPE appears to have given up on Middlesbrough in timetable 095. There appears to be nothing whatsoever between the 19:14 departure towards York and the 22:20 (which needless to say, still doesn't get to Leeds until 23:45 which is utterly useless for connections).

It's almost as though the industry has a vendetta against Whitby passengers.

No that definitely goes to Wigan

 

[yorksrob]

No that definitely goes to Wigan

Funnily enough, I'm heading in that direction this weekend, so will be able to compare !

 

[A S Leib]

Eurostar blue services to (not from) Amsterdam will serve Antwerpen-Centraal from December (also discussed here).

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

Since COVID the Dartford lines on SE have been reduced to a questionable level - made evident when XR opened and Abbey Wood and Woolwich still only got 4tph plus 2tph on Thameslink to London Bridge. Other anomalies caused by the pandemic include the odd one out 1tph Dartford to Charing Cross via Bexleyheath, and Sidcup not having a direct link to the North Kent.
In the December timetable change, this is fixed. There is now:
- 6tph from Sidcup to London Bridge
- 4tph from Bexleyheath to London Bridge, plus 2tph to Victoria
- 6tph from Woolwich to London Bridge (4tph via Greenwich, 2tph Lewisham), plus 2tph on Thameslink
- 10tph Dartford to any London terminal
- 2tph each way Greenwich-Sidcup

Still no good Medway service though.

Dartford really should have a limited stop service probably via Bexleyheath/Lewisham. Its also rather daft that they didnt consider the impact of Lizzie line service on loading and adjust service patterns but at least SE have made the case to build back frequency unlike some other operators..

 

[NCT]

Those two-track railways don't leave much scope (if any at all) for limited stop services. Intermediate stops are almost all in densely populated areas and their getting metro service levels is more economically useful than Dartford getting limited stop services.

 

[Starmill]

Those two-track railways don't leave much scope (if any at all) for limited stop services. Intermediate stops are almost all in densely populated areas and their getting metro service levels is more economically useful than Dartford getting limited stop services.

Indeed. Albany Park was one of the least used stations on any of the Dartford lines, and even there there was lots of fussing from local pressure groups and politicians when some trains skipped it all day.

There were robust operational reasons for that decision, same as how Erith and Belvedere today can't have every train calling, rather than just to offer slightly faster Dartford - London times. But they still cause local fuss. Ironically through coincidence I always think people on the trains which skip Erith and Belvedere often make a sub-threshold earlier connection to the Elizabeth line, even though that's absolutely not what that's there for. You wouldn't ever hear the people on the benefit side of that praise it though.

 

[voyagerdude220]

Looks like the extra XC trains to Glasgow Central are no more It was too good to be true

Whilst I appreciate pax from Glasgow/Motherwell may well benefit from direct trains towards the XC network, I think it would be better use of their 220/221s to only run as far north as Edinburgh and potentially be able to double up another service or two.

 

[A S Leib]

No start date's given, but the BBC's reporting that the Hull to Halifax service will no longer run west of Leeds.

A rail service linking two former Yorkshire City of Culture winners is to be scrapped by a train operator in a bid to tackle what it said was "poor reliability".

Northern plans to axe the Hull to Halifax route, which stops at Leeds and Bradford, due to regular delays which it said often ended with the service being terminated at Bradford or Leeds.

To tackle the issue, the Hull train will now terminate at Leeds – no longer continuing on to Bradford and Halifax. Passengers wanting to travel to Hull from Bradford would instead have to change in Leeds, a spokesperson said.

But other local routes would be improved as part of the shake-up, according to Northern.

Hull was the UK City of Culture in 2017, with Bradford holding the honour in 2025.

 

[Bald Rick]

No start date's given, but the BBC's reporting that the Hull to Halifax service will no longer run west of Leeds.

AIUI The service is being split into seperate Hull - Leeds and Halifax - Leeds services. But that should be in a future May 2027 timetable thread. And see the other thread.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

AIUI The service is being split into seperate Hull - Leeds and Halifax - Leeds services. But that should be in a future May 2027 timetable thread. And see the other thread.

Hull - Leeds and Leeds - Huddersfield via Brighouse

 

[dk1]

Hull - Leeds and Leeds - Huddersfield via Brighouse

If it’s not working this sounds a better and more robust fix.

 

[30907]

If it’s not working this sounds a better and more robust fix.

The duplication of Bradford-Halifax always seemed a bodge to make the timetable work.

 

[GoneSouth]

The duplication of Bradford-Halifax always seemed a bodge to make the timetable work.

Why is this route so unreliable?

Seems a shame to reduce the variety of destinations on offer to Halifax, Bradford and Hull.