Last Christmas Eve the final Chiltern train left Marylebone for Birmingham at 20.02, and none ran through Solihull on Boxing Day. When 2026 times are out.
The Christmas 2026 train times for Solihull, Dorridge and Birmingham International are not out yet. National Rail says train companies will start adding their Christmas details from the beginning of October, with its guide to the last trains out of London following in late November or early December. Until then, last year’s pattern is the best guide: an early finish on Christmas Eve, nothing on Christmas Day, and no Chiltern trains through Solihull on Boxing Day.
The quick answer
- Christmas Eve 2025: the last Chiltern train from Marylebone to Birmingham Moor Street left at 20.02. The last one back from Moor Street to London was 20.17.
- No National Rail trains on Christmas Day, as every year.
- Boxing Day 2025: no Chiltern trains north of High Wycombe and Oxford Parkway, so none at Solihull or Dorridge.
- This year Boxing Day is a Saturday and the bank holiday moves to Monday 28 December. National Rail says what runs that Monday is still to be confirmed.
The 2026 calendar
National Rail’s Christmas and New Year 2026/27 summary covers Thursday 24 December 2026 to Monday 4 January 2027 (National Rail):
| Date | What National Rail says so far |
|---|---|
| Thursday 24 December | Services on many routes finish earlier than normal |
| Friday 25 December | No National Rail services |
| Saturday 26 December | Most operators run no service; a very limited service by a few operators, to be confirmed |
| Monday 28 December | Substitute bank holiday; services to be confirmed |
| Thursday 31 December | Some routes finish earlier than normal |
| Friday 1 January | Late-night extra trains on some London routes after midnight |
Both of Solihull’s train companies, Chiltern Railways and West Midlands Railway, are on National Rail’s list of operators that will publish their detail from October.
Last Christmas on Chiltern, day by day
These are Chiltern Railways’ own notices for 2025/26, not this year’s. Chiltern’s Birmingham trains call at Dorridge and Solihull. We publish them because the pattern repeats and it shows which days need planning.
| Day | What happened |
|---|---|
| Wed 24 Dec (Christmas Eve) | Early finish. Last northbound Marylebone to Birmingham Moor Street 20.02; last southbound Moor Street to Marylebone 20.17 |
| Thu 25 Dec | No Chiltern trains at all |
| Fri 26 Dec (Boxing Day) | Limited service Marylebone to High Wycombe and Oxford Parkway only, about 8am to 9pm. Nothing to Birmingham |
| Sat 27 Dec to Sun 4 Jan | West Coast main line closed Euston to Birmingham New Street. Chiltern ran an enhanced Marylebone to Moor Street service with longer and extra trains. Buses replaced trains Warwick Parkway to Hatton, Lapworth and Dorridge for local journeys, and Leamington Spa to Warwick and Stratford-upon-Avon |
| Wed 31 Dec (New Year's Eve) | The 23.07 Marylebone to Moor Street was cancelled. The extra late trains Chiltern added that night went to Aylesbury, Oxford and Banbury, not Birmingham |
| Mon 5 Jan | Normal timetable |
Sources: Chiltern’s notices for 24 December, 25 December, 26 December, 27 December, 31 December and 4 January. The Christmas Eve notice was last updated on 24 October 2025, which is roughly when to expect this year’s.
The practical lesson from last year: with the West Coast main line shut, Chiltern from Solihull or Dorridge was the only direct way to London in the week after Christmas, and Chiltern ran longer trains for that reason. Chiltern’s notices list the Euston to Birmingham New Street route, which runs through Birmingham International, as closed from 27 December to 4 January.
What is already booked for December 2026
National Rail’s list of planned engineering work currently runs to 19 December 2026. We found no daytime closure booked at Solihull, Dorridge or Birmingham International before Christmas. Two late-night changes touch the borough:
- Monday 7 to Wednesday 9 December: the 22.30, 23.00 and 23.30 Avanti trains from Euston to Wolverhampton skip Birmingham New Street, with buses from Birmingham International to Wolverhampton via New Street (National Rail).
- Tuesday 15 to Thursday 17 December: the 00.41 West Midlands Railway train from New Street to Coventry leaves at 00.27 instead, calling at Marston Green at 00.38, Birmingham International at 00.42 and Hampton-in-Arden at 00.45 (National Rail).
Nothing is yet listed for Christmas week itself. Normal journey times and fares are on our Solihull train times to London page.
Parking over Christmas
Last year Solihull Council suspended parking enforcement on single yellow lines in residential areas from 7am on Monday 22 December until 7am on Friday 2 January. It applied to single yellow lines only, and the council said it was doing so “again”, so it is a repeat arrangement (Solihull Council, 15 December 2025). The council has not announced its 2026 dates. Car park charges are unchanged by it; they are on our parking in Solihull guide.
Buses
National Express West Midlands has not published a Christmas 2026 timetable, and its page for Christmas 2025 has been taken down. We will add the operator’s own dates when they appear.
Still to be confirmed
- Chiltern’s Christmas 2026 notices, including the Christmas Eve last trains and whether Boxing Day again skips Birmingham. Last year’s were finalised on 24 October.
- West Midlands Railway’s festive timetable for the Snow Hill lines through Solihull and Dorridge, and for Marston Green and Birmingham International.
- What runs on Monday 28 December, the substitute Boxing Day.
- Any engineering work between 24 December and 4 January, which National Rail’s list does not yet cover.
- The council’s 2026 parking enforcement break.
Bin collections over the holiday are on our Solihull Christmas bin collections page, and road closures on our Solihull roadworks page.
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