London Paddington to shut for two days in late November, halting all train services

Great Western Railway announced that London Paddington, the third-busiest UK station, will close to passengers from Saturday 28 November to Sunday 29 November, cancelling all train movements. The shutdown supports a £27.8 million overhaul of Dolphin Junction in Slough, involving new points, track-layout improvements and upgraded overhead lines. High-speed services to Bristol and South Wales will be rerouted to London Euston, and trains will bypass Reading and Didcot Parkway, with buses linking stations like Ealing Broadway and Slough.

Heathrow Express and the Elizabeth line will operate only limited services, while the Bakerloo line will continue to stop at Paddington. A night-time sleeper from Penzance will shift its London terminus between Paddington and Euston during the weekend, and passengers are advised to use alternative routes via Guildford. Network Rail’s Ross Mahoney said the works aim to reduce congestion and improve reliability across the route, and warned travelers to plan ahead for both the November weekend and a further closure over the Christmas-New Year period.