No trains run on Christmas Day, Boxing Day is very limited, and last Christmas Eve trains end by about 9pm. Horsham's rail, bus and parking picture for 2026.
No trains run anywhere on the Southern and Thameslink network on Christmas Day, and Boxing Day is close to a shutdown. That has been the rule for years, and nothing announced so far suggests 2026 will be different. Southern and Thameslink have not yet published their Christmas 2026 timetables, and Southern’s planned works calendar showed no engineering work for Horsham’s lines on 27 or 29 December when we checked on 25 September. What is already known are two closures on either side of Christmas that will affect Horsham’s trains to London. Below is last year’s festive timetable, those closures, the buses, and what is still to come.
The quick answer
- Christmas Day, Friday 25 December 2026: no trains. Last year Thameslink ran none on Christmas Day or Boxing Day, and Southern ran only “a very limited service” on some routes between London, Gatwick and Brighton on Boxing Day (Thameslink, festive period).
- Christmas Eve: an early finish. In 2025 a Saturday service ran until about 5pm, then fewer trains, with last trains reaching their destinations by around 9pm.
- Two closures to note: Sunday 29 November (Brighton Main Line shut between Three Bridges and Brighton) and Sunday 10 January 2027, no trains between Gatwick Airport and East Croydon, which cuts Horsham’s fast route to London (Network Rail).
Last year’s festive train timetable
Thameslink’s 2025 festive page set out each day, and noted Southern’s Boxing Day service (Thameslink, festive period):
| Day (2025/26) | Service |
|---|---|
| Mon 22 and Tue 23 Dec | Saturday service with extra peak trains; engineering work in some areas |
| Wed 24 Dec, Christmas Eve | Saturday service until about 17:00, then fewer trains; last trains arrive by around 21:00 |
| Thu 25 Dec, Christmas Day | No trains |
| Fri 26 Dec, Boxing Day | No Thameslink trains; very limited Southern service on some London, Gatwick and Brighton routes |
| Sat 27 and Sun 28 Dec | Normal weekend service with engineering changes |
| Mon 29 to Wed 31 Dec | Saturday service with extra peak trains |
| Thu 1 and Fri 2 Jan | Amended service, engineering work in some areas |
| Mon 5 Jan | Normal service resumed |
Network Rail’s own round-up for Sussex put it the same way: “As usual, no trains will run on Christmas Day, and only a limited service will run on Boxing Day on some Southern routes” (Network Rail, 24 December 2025). Last year’s big jobs were at East Croydon, where conductor rail was replaced, and at the Gatwick and Three Bridges junctions, both on Horsham’s route to London.
The 2026 calendar is different. Christmas Day is a Friday and the Boxing Day bank holiday moves to Monday 28 December (GOV.UK). Saturday 26 December is Boxing Day itself but not the bank holiday, so which of those two days gets the reduced service is exactly what this year’s timetable has to settle.
Closures already announced for this winter
Network Rail has set out its Brighton Main Line work for the coming months (Network Rail, essential work on the Brighton Main Line):
- Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October 2026, and Sunday 29 November 2026: the line is closed between Brighton, Lewes, Hove and Three Bridges. Replacement buses run and a diverted Southern service runs via Littlehampton. Horsham’s London trains run north of Three Bridges, so the direct effect is on journeys south towards Brighton.
- Sunday 10 January 2027: no trains between Gatwick Airport and Purley or East Croydon. Horsham’s fast Southern trains to Victoria run through that stretch, so expect a slower journey; Network Rail will publish the replacement arrangements nearer the day.
- Saturday 13 to Sunday 21 February 2027: nine days with no trains between Three Bridges and Lewes, Brighton and Hove via Haywards Heath, in the February half term.
For the three ways Horsham’s trains reach London, including the slower Southern route via Dorking and Sutton that avoids Gatwick, see Horsham to London trains.
Buses
Metrobus runs most of Horsham’s town and inter-town routes. Its 2025 Christmas arrangements, published on 20 November 2025, were (Metrobus, Christmas and New Year):
- Christmas Eve: a Monday to Friday school-holiday service. The last route 200 journeys left Gatwick North Terminal at 23:12 and Horsham Bus Station at 00:09.
- Christmas Day: special services on routes 10, 100, 200 and 400 only, paid for with Gatwick Airport funding. The 200 ran only between Bewbush and Gatwick, so no Christmas Day bus reached Horsham.
- Boxing Day: special services on routes 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 20, 100 and 200.
- Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 December: normal weekend services.
- 29 to 31 December: a Saturday service on most routes.
- New Year’s Day: a Sunday service. Friday 2 January: a normal school-holiday weekday service.
Horsham’s town routes (51, 61, 65, 71, 98), the 23 to Crawley and Worthing and the 93 to Dorking were in neither the Christmas Day nor the Boxing Day list. The 200 between Horsham and Gatwick is a 24-hour route the rest of the year.
Driving and parking
Horsham District Council’s 2025 festive announcements did not include any Christmas parking concession (Horsham District Council, 14 November 2025). On-street pay and display charges in the town centre rise from 1 October 2026 (our report), and the council has changed its Sunday car park tariff (our report). Car park prices are on our parking in Horsham page, and live road closures are on the Horsham roadworks and travel page.
Still to be confirmed
- Southern and Thameslink’s Christmas 2026 timetables, including which of 26 and 28 December gets the Boxing Day service. Last year’s festive page was online well before Christmas; we will check in late October.
- Network Rail’s Christmas engineering plan for Sussex.
- Metrobus’s 2026 Christmas services, which it published on 20 November last year.
Frequently asked questions
Are there trains from Horsham on Christmas Day?
No. No trains ran on Christmas Day 2025 on Southern or Thameslink, and Network Rail described that as the usual arrangement.
Are there trains on Boxing Day from Horsham?
Last year Thameslink ran none, and Southern ran only a very limited service on some routes between London, Gatwick and Brighton. Assume no direct Horsham trains until the 2026 timetable says otherwise.
What time is the last train on Christmas Eve?
In 2025 Thameslink ran a Saturday service until about 5pm, then fewer trains, with last trains reaching their final destinations by around 9pm. Check your own journey on National Rail once the 2026 timetable is out.
Do buses run on Christmas Day in Horsham?
Not last year. Metrobus’s only Christmas Day route near Horsham, the 200, ran between Bewbush and Gatwick and did not serve Horsham.
Sources
- Thameslink, festive period travel updates (2025/26 edition)
- Network Rail, engineering work over Christmas and New Year 2025/26 and essential work on the Brighton Main Line
- Southern, planned engineering work calendar
- Metrobus, Christmas and New Year holiday bus services (2025/26 edition)
- GOV.UK, bank holidays
Checked against each operator’s own page on 25 September 2026.
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