SWR's last trains leave Waterloo around 10pm on Christmas Eve, nothing runs on 25 or 26 December, and Alton line trains start from Woking on 28 December.
South Western Railway has now published its Christmas 2026 plan. On Christmas Eve its last trains leave London Waterloo around 10pm. There are no SWR trains at all on Christmas Day or Boxing Day. Alton line trains through Farnham run hourly on Sunday 27 December and start from Woking, not Waterloo, on Monday 28 December.
Updated 7 November: Waverley’s 2026 Christmas parking offer is out: £2 after 2pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 1 to 24 December.
Updated 3 November: SWR’s Christmas and New Year page now gives the network plan from Christmas Eve to 4 January, and its journey planners are loaded to 4 January. The table below replaces the partial list from 17 October.
The quick answer
- Christmas Eve, Thursday 24 December: trains finish early. SWR’s last train from Waterloo leaves around 10pm.
- Christmas Day and Boxing Day: no SWR trains at all.
- Sunday 27 December: later start, with the first train from Waterloo at 6.14am. Alton line trains run hourly.
- Monday 28 December: Alton line trains start from Woking, so change there for Waterloo.
- New Year’s Eve: last train from Waterloo before midnight, with queues at Waterloo for the fireworks.
- Monday 4 January: normal service.
SWR’s Christmas 2026 plan, day by day
From SWR’s own Christmas page and, for the Alton line, its December engineering works page:
| Date | SWR across the network | Alton line through Farnham |
|---|---|---|
| Thu 24 December | Early finish; last train from Waterloo around 10pm | As the network |
| Fri 25 and Sat 26 December | No services | No trains |
| Sun 27 December | Later start, first train from Waterloo 6.14am; reduced suburban, Exeter, Portsmouth and Weymouth services | Hourly |
| Mon 28 December (bank holiday) | Reduced service; buses replace trains between Clapham Junction, Earlsfield, Wimbledon and Surbiton | Starts from Woking |
| Tue 29 and Wed 30 December | Saturday service | Saturday service |
| Thu 31 December | Early finish; last train from Waterloo before midnight; queuing at Waterloo for the fireworks | As the network |
| Fri 1 January | Extra trains from Waterloo between 1am and 4.45am, then services resume at 6.20am | No change listed |
| Sat 2 and Sun 3 January | Most services as usual | No change listed |
| Mon 4 January | Normal service | Normal service |
SWR’s Christmas page puts the 27 and 28 December engineering work in the Wimbledon area. Its December works page lists the same two days under the Queenstown Road area. Either way, the Alton line changes are the same: hourly on the Sunday, from Woking on the Monday.
The New Year’s Day extra trains are from Waterloo. SWR does not say which routes they serve, and last year none ran on the Alton line (below), so do not count on one to Farnham.
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).
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 is on 27 and 28 December, when Alton line trains run hourly and then start from Woking, so those are the two days to watch.
Parking this Christmas: £2 after 2pm, Tuesday to Thursday
Waverley announced its 2026 offer on 5 November. From 1 to 24 December, any Waverley car park costs £2 after 2pm, for as long as you stay, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays (Waverley council news, 5 November 2026). A one-hour stay still costs the normal one-hour charge, £1.40 in Farnham’s Central car park. That makes 12 offer afternoons; the dates are in our Christmas parking story.
This year’s offer covers the whole borough but only three days a week. Last year’s ran every day in Farnham only:
- £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
- The exact Christmas Eve last train to Farnham. SWR gives only “around 2200” from Waterloo for the network; check a journey planner.
- Whether Waverley repeats the free Hoppa buses. Last year’s were announced on 26 November.
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