Heathrow loses its two fast trains over Christmas. From Sunday 27 to Wednesday 30 December 2026, upgrade works at Dolphin Junction near Slough mean no Elizabeth line and no Heathrow Express trains run to or from Heathrow Airport, and the Piccadilly line is the only train service left between central London and the airport.
Heathrow trains resume on Thursday 31 December, but the wider disruption around London Paddington runs on to Sunday 3 January 2027. If you are flying in or out between Christmas and New Year, this post covers what is stopped, what still runs, and how the first hour works while it does.
What is happening
National Rail confirms the works are major improvements at Dolphin Junction near Slough, on the route between London Paddington, Heathrow Airport and Reading. More than 400 trains and 100,000 passengers pass through the junction every day, and new points operating equipment is being installed for more reliable journeys through the Thames Valley.
For Heathrow, the Christmas window is precise. No Elizabeth line or Heathrow Express trains run to or from the airport from Sunday 27 to Wednesday 30 December, services resume on New Year’s Eve, Thursday 31 December, and London Underground Piccadilly line trains are the only train service between central London and Heathrow across those four days. Road options still run, but they carry the holiday traffic too, so the Piccadilly line, slow as it is, is the predictable route.
The Paddington side lasts longer. Great Western Railway trains cannot run to or from London Paddington through Sunday 3 January 2027, with trains for the Bristol area and South Wales diverted by an alternative route and other long distance trains amended to start and finish at Reading. Add the national pattern, all train lines closed on Christmas Day and most still shut on Boxing Day, and the advice from National Rail is simple: plan ahead, check before you travel and allow extra time.
Getting there after you land
On a normal week the guide ranks the Elizabeth line and the Heathrow Express as the fast ways in. Between 27 and 30 December both are off, which leaves the Piccadilly line at about 55 minutes, the black cab rank outside arrivals, or a transfer booked before you fly. See our Heathrow to central London transfer guide for every option, priced and compared, including the normal timetable the fast trains return to on 31 December.
Piccadilly lineCheapest
The only train running between central London and Heathrow from 27 to 30 December, and the cheapest seat into town on any week.
Black cab
Licensed cabs wait at the official rank outside arrivals. The meter decides the fare, so holiday traffic is the risk you take.
Pre-booked transfer
A driver waits at arrivals with your name on a sign, and the price is agreed before you land, whatever the traffic does.
The full first hour: London guide
The ride in, the first ticket and the first meal, plus where to stay in London.
Where to stay, and getting back
For a Splurge, The Savoy, on the Strand, is the grande dame of the Thames since 1889, with Art Deco and Edwardian rooms and a riverside terrace. For Sweet spot, Hoxton Holborn, at 199-206 High Holborn, is a design forward favorite that puts the West End and the City within walking distance. For Budget, Premier Inn Bank (Tower), at 20 Prescot Street, is clean, quiet and reliably comfortable, a short walk from the Tower of London.
All three sit on or near the Piccadilly line side of town, which is the point this Christmas: a hotel you can reach on the one train that is still running. For getting back, ride the Piccadilly line out to Heathrow between 27 and 30 December, or take a cab or booked transfer if your flight is early and the cases are heavy.
The first hour, sorted
Get connected before you fly: the guide names an Airalo eSIM for the UK, with Saily as a good alternative, and free Wi-Fi is standard in cafes and most hotels. You will want live train information on the phone this week more than most.
Cards and contactless payments work almost everywhere, including Tube and bus gates. Keep £10 to £20 in cash for the odd small cafe or street market stall. The UK has no tourist tax, and hotel prices include VAT.
For a first meal, the guide sends you to a proper chippy for fish and chips, golden cod or haddock with thick chips, salt and vinegar, eaten straight from the paper. Book Tower of London and London Eye tickets before you fly, as the guide directs: it is the difference between walking in and queuing for two hours.
Four days with one train to the airport is very manageable if it is in the plan before you land, and a nasty surprise if it is not. Browse the events calendar for what else is on while you are in town, and use plan your trip to line up the days around it.
The Tower, the markets and Oxford Street, for the days around the closure.
Get the London first hour checklist by email
The ride in, the first ticket and the first meal, in the London guide PDF you can read on the plane.
The checklist, free, from After You Land.
What else is on
The events calendar tracks every guided city, strikes and stoppages included.
Events calendarLine up the rest
Plan your trip pulls the guide, the stays and the bookings for this trip into one place.
Plan your trip