TRAVELLING to London by train could be difficult for passengers in the Thames Valley this Christmas.

Due to rail network upgrades around Slough and Maidenhead to prepare for Crossrail, there will be line closures and train diversions in place from December 27 until January 3.

Travel between Reading and London Paddington was disrupted over the festive period last year as engineering works overran and anyone planning to travel over this period this festive season is being encouraged to check for service disruptions online before travelling.

On December 27 and December 28 there will be no services from Reading into London Paddington to carry out what Network Rail is calling "essential improvements".

Long-distance high-speed trains through Reading will be diverted into London Waterloo.

Network Rail has said it learnt from issues faced last Christmas and has “taken all the steps to limit the chances of the work overrunning” this year, but the firm also said it cannot guarantee there will not be an overrun though extended contingency plans have been put in place to significantly reduce the chances of that happening.

A revised timetable will run between Didcot Parkway and London Paddington due to a reduced amount of open lines from December 29 to January 3.

A Network Rail spokeswoman said: “This Christmas we are carrying out essential improvements as part of our Great Western Modernisation Programme. This will mainly consist of Crossrail work, to better connect the south east with London and provide passengers with faster journeys and more trains.

“While 95 per cent of services will still be running this Christmas, major work such as this can only take place when trains aren’t running. We therefore advise anyone planning to travel over this period to check online before they travel through National Rail Enquiries or Great Western Railway’s website."

“We thank passengers in advance for their patience and understanding during this temporary period when crucial improvements will be made to ultimately provide passengers with a better travelling experience.”