No trains run from Norwich on Christmas Day and few on Saturday 26 December. Last year's Greater Anglia and First Bus plans, and when 2026's are due.
Greater Anglia has not yet published its Christmas 2026 timetable for Norwich, and First Bus has not published its festive bus times. National Rail has confirmed the national shape of the holiday, and last year’s plans show what the Norwich lines usually do.
The quick answer
- No trains run anywhere on Christmas Day, Friday 25 December 2026. Most operators run nothing on Saturday 26 December either.
- Trains will finish early on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Last year Greater Anglia’s services stopped by 10pm on Christmas Eve, with cuts from 7pm.
- Greater Anglia’s detailed plan came out on 29 October last year. Expect this year’s around the end of October.
What National Rail has confirmed for 2026/27
National Rail’s Christmas page covers Thursday 24 December 2026 to Monday 4 January 2027 (National Rail). So far it says:
- Christmas Eve, Thursday 24 December: services on many routes finish earlier than normal. Its list of last trains out of London will be published in late November or early December.
- Christmas Day, Friday 25 December: no National Rail services, as usual.
- Saturday 26 December: most operators run no service. A very limited service from a small number of operators is still to be confirmed.
- Monday 28 December: the Boxing Day bank holiday falls on this substitute day this year. Train services are still to be confirmed.
- New Year’s Eve, Thursday 31 December: some routes finish early.
National Rail says each train company’s plans will be added from the beginning of October. Network Rail’s major engineering works for the holiday have not yet been listed.
What happened on the Norwich lines last Christmas
These are 2025/26 arrangements, not this year’s. They show the pattern to expect. They come from Greater Anglia’s travel advice, first published on 29 October 2025 and updated on 19 December (Greater Anglia).
| Date | What ran |
|---|---|
| Wednesday 24 December | Early shutdown: fewer trains from 7pm, all stopped by 10pm (Stansted Express excepted) |
| Thursday 25 December | No Greater Anglia trains |
| Friday 26 December | Only a reduced Stansted Express, from Tottenham Hale. Nothing else |
| Saturday 27 December to Thursday 1 January | Revised service. London main line trains started and ended at Stratford, because Liverpool Street was shut. Norwich to Cambridge North trains ran |
| Friday 2 to Sunday 4 January | Revised service, with buses replacing trains between Bury St Edmunds and Cambridge |
| Monday 5 January | Normal service resumed |
The big factor last year was London Liverpool Street, closed for eight days from 25 December to 1 January for roof panel replacement and work in the Bishopsgate tunnel. Norwich passengers for London finished at Stratford, with tickets accepted on the Elizabeth line and Central line into Liverpool Street. Whether Liverpool Street closes again this Christmas has not been announced.
For the normal timetable and fares, see Norwich train times to London.
Buses in Norwich last Christmas
First Bus published its 2025/26 festive times on 28 November 2025 (First Bus, archived). For Norwich and Excel services:
| Date | Service |
|---|---|
| Up to Tuesday 23 December | Normal |
| Wednesday 24 December | Saturday service, last buses around 7pm |
| Thursday 25 December | No service |
| Friday 26 December | Limited service on routes 11, 21, 23, 25, 26 and 37 |
| Saturday 27 December | Saturday service |
| Sunday 28 December | Sunday service |
| Monday 29 and Tuesday 30 December | Saturday service |
| Wednesday 31 December | Saturday service, last buses around 7pm |
| Thursday 1 January | No service |
| Friday 2 January | Saturday service |
| From Saturday 3 January | Normal |
The Costessey Park and Ride 510 ran its normal weekday service except on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. The 511 stopped after Tuesday 23 December and returned on Monday 5 January.
First’s Boxing Day buses are a recent addition. In December 2024 it announced an hourly Boxing Day service on the same six routes, with first buses into the city between 8am and 9am and last buses out of the centre between 5.36pm and 6.20pm, timed partly around a Norwich City home match (First Bus, 13 December 2024).
Driving and parking
Norwich City Council kept its pay and display and multi-storey car parks open as usual last Christmas, and its enforcement officers kept patrolling (Norwich City Council, archived). There were no free parking days. Tariffs are on our parking in Norwich page, and road closures on Norwich roadworks.
Still to be confirmed
- Greater Anglia’s Christmas 2026 plan, including any Liverpool Street closure. Last year’s came on 29 October.
- National Rail’s Christmas Eve last trains from London, due late November or early December.
- First Bus’s festive times, including whether Boxing Day buses run on Saturday 26 December. Last year’s came on 28 November.
We will update this page as each is published. For the festive bins, see Norwich Christmas bin collections.
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