No trains on Christmas Day and, Northern says, generally none on Boxing Day. Early finishes on Christmas Eve; the 28 December bank holiday service is TBC.
There will be no trains anywhere in Northumberland on Christmas Day, and almost certainly none on Boxing Day. Services finish early on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. The day nobody can plan for yet is Monday 28 December, the substitute Boxing Day bank holiday, which National Rail says is still “to be confirmed”. As at 25 September, no engineering work has been announced on the county’s lines for the Christmas fortnight.
The quick answer
- Christmas Day (Friday 25 December): no National Rail trains at all.
- Boxing Day (Saturday 26 December): Northern, which runs the Northumberland Line trains, says it generally runs no Boxing Day services.
- Christmas Eve: trains finish earlier than normal on many routes. Last-train times are published in late November or early December.
The festive calendar this year
Christmas and New Year’s Day both fall on a Friday in 2026/27, and Boxing Day on a Saturday, so the bank holiday moves to the Monday. From GOV.UK’s bank holiday list:
| Date | What it is | Trains |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday 24 December | Christmas Eve | Early finish on many routes |
| Friday 25 December | Christmas Day | None |
| Saturday 26 December | Boxing Day | Most operators none; Northern none |
| Monday 28 December | Boxing Day bank holiday (substitute day) | To be confirmed |
| Thursday 31 December | New Year’s Eve | Early finish on some routes |
| Friday 1 January 2027 | New Year’s Day | Not yet published |
The train column is from National Rail’s Christmas and New Year 2026/27 page, which says there will be “no National Rail services on Christmas Day as usual”, that “most train operators will have no service” on Boxing Day, and that services for the Monday 28 December bank holiday are “to be confirmed”. Northern’s own Boxing Day page says: “Generally no Northern services operate on Boxing Day.”
Line by line
The Northumberland Line (Ashington, Blyth Bebside, Newsham, Seaton Delaval and Northumberland Park to Newcastle) runs on Northern trains. Last Christmas, Northern’s travel advice of 18 December 2025 said services would “end earlier than usual on Christmas Eve”, with no trains on Christmas Day or Boxing Day. It did not list any engineering work in the North East. The Tyne Valley line through Prudhoe, Corbridge and Hexham is covered by the same National Rail guide; no Christmas works are listed on it so far.
The East Coast Main Line through Cramlington, Morpeth, Alnmouth and Berwick-upon-Tweed carries the long-distance LNER trains to London and Edinburgh. National Rail’s engineering-works list for the line runs to mid-December so far. The last notices before Christmas that touch Northumberland travellers are an LNER change on Sunday 13 December, when the 08:30 King’s Cross to Edinburgh starts from Doncaster because of work near London, and overnight work between Newcastle and Edinburgh from 16 to 18 November that removes one late Lumo train each way.
Network Rail does most of its big engineering jobs over Christmas, and National Rail says full details of the major works “will be published here when available”. So far the only named job is at Birmingham New Street from 24 to 28 December.
Buses
No Northumberland bus operator has published its Christmas 2026 timetables yet. The last Christmas guide Go North East still has online, its 2021 announcement published on 2 December, ran Saturday timetables on Christmas Eve with most last buses between 6pm and 7pm, no buses on Christmas Day or New Year’s Day, and selected routes on Boxing Day. It put Tynedale Links local Hexham services on Saturday timetables over the break. Treat that as a pattern, not this year’s timetable. This page will be updated when Arriva and Go North East publish.
Parking in town over Christmas
Most council car parks in Northumberland’s towns are already free, subject to the disc rules in five towns. Our parking page has the town-by-town list. We have found no extra Christmas parking concession announced for 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Are there trains on Boxing Day 2026 in Northumberland?
Almost certainly not. National Rail says most operators run no service on Boxing Day, and Northern says it “generally” runs none. Boxing Day is Saturday 26 December this year.
Are there trains on Monday 28 December?
It is the substitute Boxing Day bank holiday, and National Rail says the service is “to be confirmed”. Expect details in early December.
When is the last train on Christmas Eve?
Not published yet. National Rail says services finish earlier than normal on many routes on Christmas Eve, and its last-train guide is due in late November or early December.
Still to be confirmed
- Last trains on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve: National Rail’s guide is due in late November or early December.
- The train service on Monday 28 December and on New Year’s Day.
- Any Network Rail engineering work on the East Coast Main Line or the Tyne Valley line between 24 December and 3 January.
- Arriva and Go North East Christmas bus timetables, expected in early December.
Bins and tips over the same fortnight are on the Christmas bin collections and tip opening times pages, and road closures on the roadworks page. Everyday journey times and fares are on our Northumberland train times page.
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