No trains run on Christmas Day, and Boxing Day falls on a Saturday with the bank holiday on Monday 28 December. Southern's plans are due from October.
There will be no trains to or from Eastbourne on Christmas Day, Friday 25 December 2026, and most operators run nothing on Saturday 26 December either. That much is fixed. What Southern will run on the Eastbourne line over the rest of the holiday, and which engineering works are planned in Sussex, has not been published yet: National Rail says train company details start going up from the beginning of October.
The quick answer
- Christmas Day (Fri 25 Dec): no National Rail trains anywhere. Boxing Day (Sat 26 Dec): most operators run no service.
- The Boxing Day bank holiday is Monday 28 December this year; National Rail says the service for that day is still to be confirmed.
- Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve trains finish early. The last-trains list from London is due late November or early December.
What National Rail has confirmed
National Rail’s Christmas and New Year 2026/27 summary covers Thursday 24 December 2026 to Monday 4 January 2027. It says:
| Day | What National Rail says |
|---|---|
| Thursday 24 December | Services on many routes finish earlier than normal. Guide to last trains from London due late November or early December. |
| Friday 25 December | No National Rail services. |
| Saturday 26 December | Most operators run no service; a very limited service by a few operators, details to be confirmed. |
| Monday 28 December | Boxing Day substitute bank holiday. Services to be confirmed. |
| Thursday 31 December | Services on some routes finish earlier than normal. |
| Friday 1 January 2027 | Some London routes run special services after midnight. Guide due early December. |
It also warns of “lots of planned essential engineering works” across the period, and that some operators will change their timetables to match lower demand. None of the Sussex works have been announced yet.
What happened on the Sussex lines last year
For Christmas 2025, Network Rail’s Sussex reminder said no trains ran on Christmas Day and “only a limited service” ran on Boxing Day on some Southern routes. The work it listed was in south London and on the East Grinstead and Uckfield lines: South Bermondsey closed from 27 December to 4 January, buses replaced Southern trains between London Bridge and Tulse Hill from 1 to 4 January, and on 4 January buses replaced trains between Purley and East Grinstead and between Oxted and Uckfield. It listed nothing on the Eastbourne line itself. Eastbourne’s direct trains run to London Victoria, so the London Bridge closures mattered only to people changing trains.
This year’s Eastbourne line already has its own problem: Southern’s off-peak cuts to London, which are due to run until at least mid-October. Our rail disruption page tracks that, and the Eastbourne train times to London page has the normal timetable and fares.
Buses over Christmas
Brighton & Hove Buses runs the Coaster 12 between Eastbourne and Brighton and the Regency 28 through Hailsham. Its Christmas 2025 arrangements, published on 24 November 2025, are the best guide to what to expect:
- Christmas Eve: a Saturday service finishing from about 10pm. The last 12 left Eastbourne for Brighton Station at 9pm, with a 9.15pm to Newhaven station only; the last from Brighton Station to Eastbourne was 8.55pm. The last 28 left Eastbourne for Churchill Square at 8.23pm.
- Christmas Day: special services on routes 1, 5B, 7, 12, 28 and 49. The 12 was on the list; in 2024 the company extended it through to Eastbourne with an hourly bus, the first Christmas Day bus service Eastbourne had had. Normal fares and passes applied.
- Boxing Day: a special timetable on more than 20 routes, including the 12 and 28.
- New Year’s Eve: extra night journeys, including the N12.
- New Year’s Day: a Sunday service.
The 2026 arrangements are expected in late November, as they were last year.
Parking over Christmas
Visit Eastbourne’s car parking page says parking controls apply on bank holidays, except that parking charges do not apply on 25 December, 26 December and 1 January. This year that makes Christmas Day, Boxing Day (Saturday) and New Year’s Day free, while the Monday 28 December bank holiday is not on that list. No wider Christmas parking offer for Eastbourne has been announced for 2026. Car park charges and times are on our parking in Eastbourne page.
Still to be confirmed
- Southern’s Christmas timetable and any Sussex engineering works: National Rail says operator details go up from early October.
- Last trains from London on Christmas Eve: late November or early December.
- Brighton & Hove Buses’ Christmas times: expected late November.
For the rest of the holiday, see Eastbourne Christmas bin collections and Eastbourne roadworks and travel.
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