NETWORK Rail has defended its decision to close down much of the rail network over the Christmas period, which will mean major disruption for Berkshire passengers travelling to London.

A number of lines will be closed for an extended period as Network Rail carries out up to 200 improvement projects costing £103 million.

Work on some schemes began on Christmas Eve to give engineers and maintenance teams four days to carry out upgrades before the next working day.

This will hit rail passengers with added disruption, as the annual festive shutdown means no trains on Christmas Day and only certain services on Boxing Day.

For Berkshire passengers, it means the closure of Paddington Station for six days from today until Thursday, December 29 as part of the Crossrail project.

However, there will also be a reduced timetable between Friday, December 30 and Monday, January 2.

The move was justified by Network Rail chief executive Mark Carne as preferable to other times of the year due to lower passenger numbers.

He told BBC Breakfast: "The reality is this is the best time of the year for us to do this sort of huge engineering project because the numbers of people travelling by train is about half of what it is on a normal weekend or a normal day.

"This is the time of year when we can do this sort of work with the minimum effect on the travelling public."

From Christmas Eve to December 29, trains will start and end at Ealing Broadway, where passengers can change on to the London Underground.

Great Western Railway tickets will also be valid for the following London stations:

  • Euston: To and from the Hereford area (change at Birmingham New Street) 
  • Marylebone; To and from the Oxford area (change at Oxford)
  • Waterloo; To and from Bristol, South Wales, the South West and Basingstoke (change at Reading)