No trains run on Christmas Day and most operators run none on Saturday 26 December. What is known for Chichester's trains, buses and council car parks so far.

There will be no trains from Chichester on Christmas Day, and most operators will run none on Saturday 26 December either. That much is already on National Rail’s 2026/27 Christmas page. Southern’s own timetable for the festive fortnight, and any engineering work on the coast line, have not been published yet.

The quick answer

  • Friday 25 December: no National Rail services anywhere.
  • Saturday 26 December: most train companies run no service; details of the Boxing Day bank holiday on Monday 28 December are still to be confirmed.
  • Parking: last December, council car parks gave a third hour free on weekends through MiPermit, and Avenue de Chartres was free on Sundays.

Checked on 25 September 2026.

Trains: what National Rail has said

National Rail’s Christmas and New Year 2026/27 page covers Thursday 24 December 2026 to Monday 4 January 2027. It says:

  • trains on many routes will finish early on Christmas Eve, and passengers should not assume the normal timetable is running;
  • there are no National Rail services on Christmas Day;
  • on Saturday 26 December “most train operators will have no service”, with a very limited service from a small number of operators, details to be confirmed;
  • the Boxing Day bank holiday is on Monday 28 December this year, and the services running that day are still to be confirmed;
  • trains on some routes will finish early on New Year’s Eve.

Each train company’s own Christmas arrangements are being added to that page “from the beginning of October onwards”. Its guide to last trains out of London will be published “late November / early December”.

Chichester station is managed by Southern, according to National Rail’s station page, and Southern runs the direct trains to London Victoria. For the normal pattern, see our Chichester train times to London page.

Engineering work: last year missed the coast line

Network Rail’s Sussex and south London Christmas works release for 2025/26 listed jobs at East Croydon, Gatwick, Three Bridges, South Bermondsey, Tulse Hill and on the East Grinstead and Uckfield lines. None of the named jobs was on the line through Chichester. That says nothing about this year. The 2026/27 programme has not been published; National Rail says full details of major works “will be published here when available”.

We will add any Christmas work affecting Chichester here as soon as it is announced.

Buses

Stagecoach runs most of the local routes. Its Christmas and New Year timetables for 2026 are not published yet; watch its Chichester and Bognor Regis service updates page from early December. We will add the Christmas Eve last buses and the days with no service when they are out.

Council car parks and Christmas parking

Chichester District Council has not announced its 2026 festive parking offers. Last year’s, from its release of 26 November 2025:

  • Weekends in December: pay for two hours through the MiPermit app and get a third hour free, in most council car parks. The offer did not apply at Avenue de Chartres multi-storey.
  • Sundays in December: parking at Avenue de Chartres was free.

In 2024 the council also made Avenue de Chartres free from 4pm on the evening of the Christmas lights switch-on, according to its November 2024 announcement. It did not repeat that in 2025’s release. The 2026 switch-on date is still to be set: see our Christmas lights switch-on page.

Normal restrictions still apply over the holiday. Last year the council said “all parking restrictions and charges apply during the holidays” and civil enforcement officers kept working; its parking office closed at 1pm on 24 December and reopened at 9am on 2 January, according to its Christmas closure notice. For tariffs and car park by car park prices, see our parking in Chichester page, and for road closures our roadworks and travel page.

Still to be confirmed

  • Southern’s Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve and 28 December timetables (from October).
  • Any Network Rail engineering work affecting Chichester between 24 December and 4 January.
  • Last trains from London on Christmas Eve (late November or early December).
  • Stagecoach’s Christmas bus timetables (December).
  • Chichester District Council’s 2026 festive parking offers (late November last year).