No trains at Charing Cross or Cannon Street on 27 and 28 December or 1 to 3 January, and Bexleyheath line buses on 27 and 28 December. Day by day for Dartford.
Southeastern’s Christmas and New Year plan for 2026/27 is out, and it is a hard one for Dartford. Charing Cross, Waterloo East and Cannon Street are shut on five days: Sunday 27 and Monday 28 December, and Friday 1 to Sunday 3 January. On 27 and 28 December buses also replace every train on the Bexleyheath line.
Updated 20 October: Southeastern’s and Thameslink’s 2026/27 plans added from National Rail; last year’s plan removed. Christmas Eve and Boxing Day details are still to come.
The quick answer
- No trains at all on Christmas Day, Friday 25 December 2026. Thameslink also runs nothing on Saturday 26 December; Southeastern has not yet published that day.
- Sunday 27 and Monday 28 December: no trains at Charing Cross, Waterloo East or Cannon Street, buses on the Bexleyheath line, no Cannon Street to Dartford trains via Woolwich, and the Sidcup line only between Sidcup and Dartford.
- Friday 1 to Sunday 3 January: the three London stations shut again; Victoria to Gravesend via Bexleyheath runs normally.
- Christmas Eve last trains are not out yet. Last year the last direct train to Dartford left Cannon Street at 21.45.
Source for every Southeastern line on this page: National Rail’s Southeastern bank holiday page, read 20 October 2026. Southeastern’s own Christmas page still showed last year’s plan that morning.
Southeastern, day by day, for Dartford
| Date | What runs |
|---|---|
| Thu 24 December, Christmas Eve | Not yet published |
| Fri 25 December | No trains |
| Sat 26 December | Not yet published |
| Sun 27 and Mon 28 December | No trains at Charing Cross, Waterloo East or Cannon Street; limited service at London Bridge; Lewisham closed. Bexleyheath line: buses replace all trains (Greenwich to Dartford via Bexleyheath). Woolwich line: no Cannon Street to Dartford trains; Cannon Street to Slade Green trains via Greenwich run from London Bridge and on to Gravesend. Sidcup line: Sidcup to Dartford only, buses Greenwich to Sidcup |
| Tue 29 and Wed 30 December | Until 05:35, Charing Cross trains start from London Bridge |
| Thu 31 December | The 05:13 London Bridge to Dartford via Greenwich runs via Lewisham |
| Fri 1, Sat 2 and Sun 3 January | No trains at Charing Cross, Waterloo East or Cannon Street; most services to Victoria. Bexleyheath line: no Cannon Street or Charing Cross trains, but Victoria to Gravesend via Bexleyheath runs normally. Woolwich line: Cannon Street to Slade Green trains via Greenwich run from London Bridge and on to Dartford. Sidcup line: Sidcup to Dartford only, buses Greenwich to Sidcup |
| Mon 4 January | Normal, except the 23:50 St Pancras to Faversham, replaced by buses from Ebbsfleet International |
On the closure days the Underground can be used at no extra cost between Victoria, Charing Cross, Embankment, Waterloo, Southwark, London Bridge, Cannon Street, Blackfriars and Elephant and Castle, and the DLR between Lewisham and Greenwich. Our news story explains each day in more detail.
Thameslink
Thameslink’s plan is on National Rail’s Thameslink bank holiday page:
- no Thameslink trains on Friday 25 or Saturday 26 December
- an “amended and reduced service” on all routes from Monday 28 December to Friday 1 January
- Saturday 2 January: the 04:06 Gillingham to Dartford starts from Gravesend, with a connecting bus
- Sunday 3 January, early hours: the 01:24 Dartford to Gillingham runs only from Strood, with a bus from Dartford to Strood
The bank holidays are Friday 25 December, Monday 28 December (the substitute for Boxing Day) and Friday 1 January 2027 (GOV.UK).
What it means for you: if you are going into London between Christmas and New Year, aim for London Bridge or Victoria, and on 27 and 28 December expect a bus on the Bexleyheath line. From 1 to 3 January, the Victoria trains via Bexleyheath are the simplest way in.
Last trains on Christmas Eve 2025, as a guide
Southeastern publishes a table of last direct trains from its London terminals on Christmas Eve. This year’s is not out yet. Last year it ran a Saturday timetable and no trains after about 22:00. These were last year’s times for the Dartford borough stations and those nearest to it (Southeastern last trains, Christmas Eve 2025).
| To | From Charing Cross | From Cannon Street | From Victoria | From St Pancras |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dartford | 21.20 | 21.45 | 21.33 | None |
| Crayford | 21.20 | None | None | None |
| Slade Green | None | 21.32 | None | None |
| Stone Crossing | 20.50 | None | None | None |
| Greenhithe (for Bluewater) | 20.50 | None | 20.33 | None |
| Swanscombe | 20.50 | None | None | None |
| Ebbsfleet International | None | None | None | 21.20 |
| Longfield | None | None | 21.10 | None |
| Farningham Road | None | None | 20.42 | None |
Charing Cross trains call at Waterloo East three minutes later and London Bridge nine minutes later; Cannon Street trains call at London Bridge about four minutes later. “None” means no direct train was listed; Southeastern notes that other journeys may be possible by changing trains or using another operator. Everyday journey times are on our Dartford train times to London page.
Parking in Dartford over Christmas
Dartford Borough Council has not announced any Christmas parking offer for 2026. Two things are already known:
- Council car parks do not charge on Sundays, because every charging window runs Monday to Saturday or Monday to Friday. Full prices and free spots are on our parking in Dartford page.
- The council has made festive market days free before. In December 2022 it made the Acacia and Mansion House car parks free on the Thursday and Saturday Christmas market days (Dartford Borough Council, 19 December 2022). That is a precedent, not a promise for this year.
What is still to be confirmed
- Southeastern’s Christmas Eve and Boxing Day services, still marked “Information will be published when available”.
- Christmas Eve 2026 last trains, which Southeastern publishes as a separate table.
- Any council Christmas parking offer.
We will update this page as each is published. For the rest of the fortnight: Christmas bin collections, school term dates and roadworks and travel.
Have your say