Last Christmas Eve the last Waterloo train to Farnham left at 20.54, with no trains on the 25th or 26th. What we know for 2026, and the £1 parking and free Hoppa.
South Western Railway has not yet published its Christmas 2026 timetable for the Alton line through Farnham. National Rail says operators start adding their plans from the beginning of October. What is certain already: there will be no trains on Christmas Day, almost none on Boxing Day, and trains finish early on Christmas Eve. Last year the last train from London Waterloo to Alton, calling at Farnham, left at 20.54 on Christmas Eve.
The quick answer
- No trains on Christmas Day (Friday 25 December 2026) and most operators run nothing on Boxing Day, Saturday 26 December (National Rail).
- Christmas Eve trains finish early. Last year’s last Waterloo to Alton train left at 20.54.
- SWR’s 2026 plan is not out yet. National Rail says details are added from October; we will update this page when they are.
Christmas 2026: what is confirmed
National Rail’s Christmas and New Year page for 2026/27 covers Thursday 24 December 2026 to Monday 4 January 2027. It says trains on many routes finish earlier than normal on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, there are no National Rail services on Christmas Day, most operators run no service on Boxing Day, and details for the substitute bank holiday on Monday 28 December are still to come (National Rail: Christmas and New Year 2026/27).
It does not yet list any South Western Railway engineering work for this Christmas. Big blockades around Waterloo are usually announced in the autumn.
What happened last Christmas on the Farnham line
Farnham trains run on SWR’s Alton line, splitting from Basingstoke trains at Woking on the way down from London. Last year’s plan, from SWR’s Christmas and New Year services page and its 15 December 2025 announcement:
| Date | Alton line (Farnham) service, 2025/26 |
|---|---|
| Wed 24 December | Early finish, last train from Waterloo to Alton at 20.54 |
| Thu 25 and Fri 26 December | No SWR trains at all |
| Sat 27 and Sun 28 December | Hourly, to and from Clapham Junction only, joined to Basingstoke trains as far as Woking. Waterloo closed |
| Mon 29 and Tue 30 December | Hourly, to and from Waterloo |
| Wed 31 December | Hourly, to and from Waterloo, plus extra trains after midnight to Guildford and Basingstoke |
| Thu 1 January | Hourly, to and from Woking only |
| Fri 2 and Sat 3 January | Two trains an hour to and from Waterloo, joined to Basingstoke trains |
| Sun 4 January | Hourly, to and from Woking only; last trains out of Waterloo around 23.00; buses between Farnborough and Basingstoke |
| Mon 5 January | Normal service |
The reason was Network Rail’s rebuild of the track between Waterloo and Clapham Junction near Queenstown Road, from 27 December to 4 January. On New Year’s Eve the extra trains out of Waterloo ran from 01.20 to 04.45, to Guildford, Basingstoke and Twickenham. None ran on the Alton line through Farnham, so getting home after midnight meant a train to Guildford or Farnborough and a taxi.
What it means for you: plan for no trains on the 25th and 26th, an early finish on Christmas Eve, and check a journey planner for every day up to 4 January. This year’s engineering work may be in a different place entirely.
Parking and buses in Farnham last Christmas
Waverley and its partners ran three offers in December 2025. None has been announced for 2026 yet.
- £1 evening and overnight parking. From 9 December 2025 to 1 January 2026, parking cost £1 per entry from 1pm to 8am in every Waverley car park in Farnham. The three councils split the cost of just under £40,000, to support traders hit by the town centre works (Waverley council news, 18 November 2025).
- Free parking after 2pm in Waverley car parks in Farnham on 27 November 2025.
- Free Hoppa buses to your nearest high street, including Farnham, from 9.30am to 2.30pm, Monday 15 to Wednesday 24 December 2025. You register with Hoppa first, at hoppa.org.uk or on 01428 681701 (Waverley council news, 26 November 2025).
Car park prices the rest of the year are on our parking in Farnham page, and anything closing roads in the town centre is on Farnham roadworks and travel.
Still to be confirmed
- SWR’s Christmas 2026 timetable and any engineering work, expected from October onwards.
- Christmas Eve last trains for 2026.
- Whether Waverley repeats the £1 parking and free Hoppa offers. Last year’s were announced on 18 and 26 November.
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