Travelling between Christmas and New Year 2015 just got harder.

There are planned railworks on lines in and out of King’s Cross, Charing Cross, Gatwick Airport and Heathrow Airport, as well as on several Tube lines and TFL Rail routes.

Londoners going abroad for the holidays should be aware that there will be no Gatwick Express running between December 26 and January 3.

There will also be no overground train service to Heathrow on 27 and 28 December.

National Rail are warning holidaymakers the journey to Gatwick will therefore take them around 90 minutes, so allow plenty of time.

Things aren’t looking much better for those visiting family in the UK by train this Christmas.

No trains will be leaving or entering Charing Cross or Canon Street stations between December 27 and January 1 because of “engineering work in connection with the Thameslink programme”.

Trains will either be running through London Victoria instead, or National Rail are advising passengers that their tickets will be accepted on all reasonable routes London Terminals and Southwark/Embankment/Canada Water.

Tickets will also be accepted on the Docklands Light Railway between Greenwich and Lewisham and on London Overground services between New Cross and Canada Water.

Meanwhile over at King’s Cross St Pancras between December 28 and 31 trains heading to Sheffield and Leicester face longer routes and early terminations.

There will be no TfL Rail service to between Liverpool Street and Shenfield December 26-28 and an amended service will be running December 29 to January 3, with replacement buses for journeys between Seven Kings and Shenfield.

On the Tube December 26-30 engineering works mean services will not run between Hammersmith and Tower Hill via Kings Cross St. Pancras, between Hammersmith and Aldgate East and between Baker Street and Aldgate.

Passengers are advised to find alternative routes.

On the plus side, this may now be your excuse not to attend that dreaded family event.