Travelling at Christmas | Grand Central Rail

Travelling with Grand Central at Christmas and New Year – what you need to know

Christmas is creeping up on us again! We're looking forward to gathering around the dinner table, heading out to festive markets and visiting friends and family again!

What services are Grand Central running over the festive period?

Saturday 24th December we will be operating a slightly reduced service.
Sunday 25th and Monday 26th December there will be no Grand Central services operating.
Tuesday 27th - Saturday 31st December Grand Central services will resume with some timing amendments throughout the week due to Network Rail engineering works at York. Grand Central services on the North East route from York to Sunderland will be subject to extended journey times and retiming of arrivals and departures.
Sunday 1st January there will be no Grand Central services operating.
Monday 2nd January Grand Central services will resume with some service amendments due to planned engineering.

Please visit our dedicated Timetable Changes page to see which services are running on your date of travel and please check before you travel.

Industrial Strike Action Information

Grand Central is not taking part in the forthcoming strikes, however Network Rail will be and they ensure the lines are safe for our services to operate on. Network Rail will confirm the timetable that we are able to operate four working days prior to the strike date. We will update our dedicated Strike page with all information once we are able too. To visit the strike page please click here.

General Information to help make your journey as smooth as possible...

Seat reservations – all Advance tickets include a seat reservation. If you have an Off-Peak or Anytime ticket, check your confirmation email or paper tickets for reservations. You can book a seat reservation (subject to availability):

At any station ticket office
By contacting @GC_Rail on Twitter
Speak to our Customer Relations team on 0345 603 4852 (Mon – Fri 08:00 – 18:00).

Limit your luggage - travel light if you can and only brings items that you can carry. A maximum of three items per person including two suitcases and a small carry-on bag can be brought on board.

Book journey assistance - all of our trains are wheelchair-accessible and feature accessible toilets and dedicated wheelchair spaces. Please contact us in advance to make your arrangements.