Essential engineering works on the railway in the Bristol, Stroud, and London areas has been planned to take advantage of the Christmas shut down, although some will work continue through to the New Year.

There has not been a standard service on Christmas Day for around 60 years, and no service at all for the last 40 years. Also, there is only a limited service on Boxing Day.

This year, Network Rail is making over £22m worth of upgrades across its Western region, which runs from Paddington to Penzance.

At Bristol Parkway, from 8 pm on Christmas Eve until 9 pm on Friday, 31 December new track is being installed on either side of the station.

A few miles from Stroud, a culvert that takes the Stroudwater Canal under the railway at the Ocean in Stonehouse is being replaced by a bridge on behalf of the Cotswold Canals Connected Project. Engineers will be working 24/7 from 10 pm on Christmas Eve until 4 am on 1 January to replace the current culvert with a new open structure, allowing boats to pass through. During this time, no trains will call at Bristol Parkway, Yate, or Cam & Dursley with replacement buses in operation. Train services will resume on New Year’s Day.

At Bristol Temple Meads, work is continuing with the installation of tactile paving along the edge of the station platforms as part of the Bristol Rail Regeneration programme. This work will start on Christmas Day and last until 4 January, with further work planned for the first few months of 2022. Train services will operate as planned, but passengers should take extra care when walking through the station.

Between London Paddington and Slough, engineers will be replacing ageing and unreliable signalling equipment with modern and reliable units. This work will begin at 10 pm on Christmas Eve and last until 4 am on Monday, 27 December. During this time, there will be no trains in or out of London Paddington. On Boxing Day Heathrow Express trains to Heathrow Airport will not run and be replaced by a rail-replacement bus service.

Mike Gallop, Network Rail Western route and strategic operations director, said: “Our festive upgrades are crucial to ensuring the railway continues to run reliably and safely.

“Our continued investment into upgrading and improving the railway is evidence of our commitment to providing a railway fit for the 21st century and will support the introduction of new and increased services in the future.

“There is never a good time to disrupt services but the very best time to do that is always when there are fewest people travelling. With no trains on Christmas Day and very few on Boxing Day, choosing to undertake the majority of our work – particularly at London Paddington – on those days clearly makes sense overall.

“We thank passengers in advance for their patience and urge them to check before they travel.”

Passengers can find out how their Christmas journeys will be affected by contacting their train operator, via National Rail Enquiries, or by following #ChristmasRailWorks on Twitter.