If you are planning to catch a train home for Christmas, Birmingham's main station will not be where you start.

Birmingham New Street, the busiest railway station in Britain outside London, will close completely for five days over the festive period.

When is Birmingham New Street closed?

No trains will call at the station from Christmas Eve, Thursday 24 December, until Bank Holiday Monday, 28 December 2026.

The shutdown covers local, regional and long-distance services that would normally run to, from or through the station.

Christmas Day is already a non-running day across the national rail network, and trains do not usually operate in the Midlands on Boxing Day either.

The real impact falls on Christmas Eve and the Sunday and Monday that follow, when many people are travelling to see family or heading back home.

Why is the station closing?

Much of the overhead line equipment that powers electric trains through New Street dates back to the 1960s.

Engineers say it now urgently needs replacing.

The work is part of a three-year, £13 million programme designed to cut faults and make journeys through the station more reliable in the long run.

Anyone who has been stuck on a delayed train outside New Street will understand why ageing equipment at such a busy junction matters.

Will it happen again next year?

Yes.

Further closures are planned over the same Christmas period in 2027 and 2028, so this is likely to become a festive fixture for the next three years.

How can you plan your Christmas train travel?

Rail operators have not yet published full travel advice, but Christmas timetables are expected to be released from early October.

Rail replacement buses and the local bus network are likely to form part of the alternatives.

Passengers should check with their train operator whether services from Birmingham Moor Street or Snow Hill are affected before assuming they can switch stations.

If you can, consider travelling a day earlier, before the closure begins on Christmas Eve.

Coach services, car sharing and the West Midlands Metro may also help with shorter journeys across the region.

Booking early and checking journey planners before setting off will be essential.

What it means for Birmingham

New Street sits at the heart of the national rail network, so the closure will be felt far beyond the city.

For city centre businesses, the festive shutdown also means fewer rail visitors on some of the final trading days before Christmas.

Brum in Focus will share updated travel advice once operators confirm their plans.

Image: Photo by Margo Evardson on Unsplash.