London Paddington station will experience service disruptions this winter due to £27 million track upgrades at Dolphin Junction, located between Slough and Langley. The railway will close on the weekend of 28 and 29 November for track renewal work.
During this November closure, Great Western Railway (GWR) will operate special hourly services between London Euston and Bristol Temple Meads, and between Euston and Swansea or Carmarthen. These services will not stop between Euston and Swindon, including at Oxford or Didcot Parkway. Passengers travelling between Reading and London can use GWR trains to Guildford, then change for services to London Waterloo, with enhanced non-stop trains running between Reading and Guildford.
The Night Riviera sleeper train will run from Paddington on Friday, 27 November, but the service from Penzance will arrive into Euston on Saturday morning, 28 November. It will then depart from Euston on Sunday evening, 29 November, returning to Paddington on Monday morning.
Heathrow Express and Elizabeth line services will not operate to or from Heathrow airport over the 28-29 November weekend. The Elizabeth line will run a reduced service between Reading and Maidenhead only, with no services via Paddington for Abbey Wood or Shenfield. Only the Bakerloo line will stop at Paddington on these dates.
Further disruptions are planned for 10 days over Christmas and New Year, with the railway closing between 27 December 2026 and 3 January 2027, following the usual Christmas shutdown on 25 and 26 December. GWR has stated this will affect all train services between Paddington and Slough, but has not yet released details of temporary arrangements. The works are scheduled for completion in January 2027.