Christmas 2021 service summary
This Christmas most trains on the Greater Anglia network will run as usual.
On Christmas Eve, the last services of the day will be earlier than usual. There will be no services on Christmas Day, and on Boxing Day the only services operating are some Stansted Express services.
View more information on planned Service Alterations and the recent 20th December 2021 Timetable changes.
Network Rail is carrying out some engineering works on Boxing Day and the bank holiday weekends. This is how they will affect our services:
Boxing Day
Stansted Express will run between Tottenham Hale and Stansted Airport. Greater Anglia tickets will be accepted on TfL Victoria Line between Tottenham Hale and Kings Cross and on the Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines between Kings Cross and Liverpool Street.
Bank Holiday Monday 27 & Bank Holiday Tuesday 28 December
Rail replacement bus services will operate between Shenfield and Colchester; Braintree and Witham; Marks Tey and Sudbury. No service between Stratford and Meridian Water.
Saturday 1 to Monday 3 January inclusive
No service between Stratford and Meridian Water.
COVID-19 Travel Advice
You can travel with confidence on our trains this Christmas. We have various measures in place to keep you safe which we will continue, including:
- Enhanced cleaning and sanitisation of our trains – with train cleaners wiping down touch points with virucide after every journey.
- Good air flow on our trains – air conditioning on all our new trains and some old trains sucks in fresh air every six to nine minutes. Other trains have opening windows. On all trains, doors opening at station lets more air in.
- Random covid tests carried out by an independent company have all come back negative. We’re also carrying out biological residue tests ourselves to make sure our cleaning is as effective and efficient as possible.
View our COVID-19 travel advice page to see what we are doing to keep you safe.
Friday 24 December 2021
Last departures from Chelmsford to:
| London Liverpool Street | 21:40 |
| Stratford and Shenfield | 21:40 |
| Braintree | 21:22 |
| Norwich | 21:00 |
| Colchester | 22:12 |
| Clacton-on-sea | 21:52 |
Friday 24 December 2021
Last departures from Ipswich to:
| Felixstowe | 20:58 |
| Lowestoft | 20:17 |
| Norwich | 21:41 |
| London Liverpool Street | 21:10 |
| Colchester | 21:28 |
| Cambridge and Bury St Edmunds | 19:13 |
| Peterborough | 17:42 |
Friday 24 December 2021
Last departures from Colchester to:
| Clacton-on-Sea | 22:16 |
| Walton-on-the-Naze (Direct) | 20:56 |
| Walton-on-the-naze (via Thorpe) | 21:16 |
| Ipswich | 22:20 |
| Norwich | 21:21 |
| London Liverpool Street | 21:30 |
Friday 24 December 2021
Last departures from Tottenham Hale to:
| Cheshunt | 22:37 |
| Broxbourne | 22:37 |
| Bishop's Stortford | 22:37 |
| Hertford East | 21:25 |
| Audley End | 21:40 |
| London Liverpool Street | 22:35 |
| Stansted Airport | 22:37 |
| Cambridge | 21:40 |
Friday 24 December 2021
Last departures from Cambridge to:
| London Liverpool Street | 21:02 |
| Stansted Airport (via Bishop's Stortford) | 21:02 |
| Norwich (Direct) | 20:20 |
| Norwich (via Stowmarket) | 20:47 |
| Ipswich | 20:47 |
| Tottenham Hale | 21:02 |
| Ely | 22:36 |
For other operators services, please check their websites nearer the time
Friday 24 December 2021
Last departures from Norwich to:
| Cambridge | 19:27 |
| Nottingham (EMR service) | 17:50 |
| Lowestoft | 19:02 |
| Great Yarmouth | 20:40 |
| Sheringham | 19:55 |
| London Liverpool Street | 20:32 |
| Bury St Edmunds (via Ely) | 18:23 |
Last arrivals at Norwich from
| Great Yarmouth (Direct) | 21:17 |
| London Liverpool Street | 20:30 |
| Lowestoft | 20:57 |
| Sheringham | 21:10 |
| Cambridge (Direct) | 20:20 |
| Cambridge (via Stowmarket) | 20:47 |
| Nottingham (EMR service) | 18:40 |
| Bury St Edmunds (via Stowmarket) | 21:26 |
Friday 24 December 2021
Last departures from London Liverpool Street to:
| Norwich | 20:30 |
| Ipswich | 21:30 |
| Colchester (Calling Stratford, Romford, Shenfield, Chelmsford, Witham, Kelvedon, Marks Tey, Colchester) | 21:38 |
| Hertford East | 21:12 |
| Stansted Airport | 22:55 |
| Clacton-on-Sea | 21:18 |
| Southend Victoria | 21:35 |
| Cambridge | 21:28 |
Norwich, Ipswich, Clacton, Colchester and
Braintree to London and branch lines.
Christmas Eve Friday 24 December – An early shutdown of all services
will apply.
Christmas Day Saturday 25 December – No services on these routes.
Boxing Day Sunday 26 December – No services on these routes.
Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December – All Greater Anglia train services
will operate to a Sunday-style service. Buses will replace trains between
the following locations:
• Colchester and Shenfield
• Sudbury and Marks Tey
• Braintree and Witham
Additionally, buses will replace trains between Ipswich and Shenfield
between the following times:
• Until 07.30 on Monday
• Between 00.30 and 07.30 on Monday night/Tuesday morning
• After 00.30 Tuesday night
Colchester Town, Walton-on-the-Naze, Clacton-on-Sea, Ipswich and
Norwich train services will operate to/from Colchester.
Train services will operate between Shenfield and London Liverpool
Street. Journey times on mainline and Southend Victoria services will be
increased by up to 15 minutes between Shenfield and Stratford/London
Liverpool St, these services will also depart Liverpool St up to 15 minutes
earlier than normal.
Wednesday 29, Thursday 30 and Friday 31 December – All Greater Anglia
train services will operate to a Saturday-style service.
Saturday 1, Sunday 2 and Monday 3 January – Journey times on mainline
and Southend Victoria services will be increased by up to 15 minutes
between Shenfield and Stratford/London Liverpool St. Mainline and
Southend Victoria services will depart Liverpool St up to 15 minutes early
than normal. On New Year’s Day Bank Holiday, all Greater Anglia train
services will operate to a Sunday-style service.
Local services from Ipswich and Norwich.
Christmas Eve Friday 24 December – An early shutdown of all services
will apply.
Christmas Day Saturday 25 December – No services on these routes.
Boxing Day Sunday 26 December – No services on these routes.
Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December – All Greater Anglia train services will
operate to a Sunday-style service.
Wednesday 29, Thursday 30 and Friday 31 December – All Greater Anglia
train services will operate to a Saturday-style service.
Saturday 1 January – On New Year’s Day Bank Holiday, a Sunday-style
service will operate on these routes.
Sunday 2 and Monday 3 January – A Saturday-style service will operate
on these routes.
Southend Victoria, Southminster and Shenfield to London.
Christmas Eve Friday 24 December – An early shutdown of all services
will apply.
Christmas Day Saturday 25 December – No services on these routes.
Boxing Day Sunday 26 December – No services on these routes.
Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December – All Greater Anglia train services will
operate to a Sunday-style service.
Journey times on mainline and Southend Victoria services will be increased
by up to 15 minutes between Shenfield and Stratford/London Liverpool St,
these services will also depart Liverpool St up to 15 minutes earlier than
normal.
Wednesday 29, Thursday 30 and Friday 31 December – All Greater Anglia
train services will operate to a Saturday-style service.
Saturday 1, Sunday 2 and Monday 3 January – Journey times on mainline
and Southend Victoria services will be increased by up to 15 minutes
between Shenfield and Stratford/London Liverpool St. Mainline and
Southend Victoria services will depart Liverpool St up to 15 minutes early
than normal. On New Year’s Day Bank Holiday, all Greater Anglia train
services will operate to a Sunday-style service.
Cambridge, Stansted Airport, Bishop’s Stortford, Hertford East to London.
Christmas Eve Friday 24 December – An early shutdown of all services will
apply. Stansted Express services will continue until around midnight.
Christmas Day Saturday 25 December – No services on these routes.
Boxing Day Sunday 26 December – The only services operating on Boxing
Day will be Stansted Express services operating between Stansted Airport
and Tottenham Hale only.
For journeys into central London, passengers should use TfL Victoria Line tube
services to/from Tottenham Hale.
Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December – All Greater Anglia train services will
operate to a Sunday-style service. Greater Anglia West Anglia services will
not serve Stratford. Greater Anglia West Anglia services will be diverted to/
from London Liverpool Street via Hackney Downs. No services will operate
between Meridian Water and Stratford all day. Customers for Stratford should
change onto Greater Anglia mainline/Southend Victoria services from London
Liverpool Street; customers travelling to/from Lea Bridge should use TfL buses
between Lea Bridge and Stratford/Hackney Downs.
Wednesday 29, Thursday 30 and Friday 31 December – All Greater Anglia
train services will operate to a Saturday-style service.
Saturday 1, Sunday 2 and Monday 3 January – Greater Anglia West Anglia
services will not serve Stratford.
Greater Anglia West Anglia services will be diverted to/from London Liverpool
Street via Hackney Downs. No services will operate between Meridian Water
and Stratford. Customers for Stratford should change onto Greater Anglia
mainline/Southend Victoria services from London Liverpool Street; customers
travelling to/from Lea Bridge should use TfL buses between Lea Bridge and
Stratford/Hackney Downs.
On New Years Day Bank Holiday, all Greater Anglia train services will operate
to a Sunday-style service.
On Sunday only, buses will replace trains between Cambridge North and
Audley End all day.