Journeys between Bristol and South Wales affected by rail improvement work

GWR News

Trains that run through the Severn Tunnel between Bristol and South Wales will be impacted by Network Rail track upgrades this month.

Work to help ensure the ongoing safety of this key route will affect Great Western Railway services from Friday 9 to Sunday 18 June, and on Sunday 25 June.

Additional engineering work will also impact trains between Newport and Cardiff Central on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 June.

• Trains will still run between London and South Wales by using a different route, not stopping at Bristol Parkway, except for the weekend of 10/11 June (see below)
• On Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 June trains will run between London Paddington and Bristol Parkway with shuttle trains between Cardiff Central and Swansea/Carmarthen
• Buses and coaches will operate between Bristol Parkway and Newport, with them extending to Cardiff Central on 10/11 June
• CrossCountry and Transport for Wales (TfW) also plan to operate replacement road transport on the weekend of 10/11 June between Newport and Cardiff Central.

Fewer rail replacement services will be running than planned due to a shortage of bus/coach drivers, especially on the weekend of 10/11 June.

Ticket acceptance has been agreed with CrossCountry and TfW for GWR customers to travel between Bristol and South Wales via Gloucester instead.

Those travelling to Cardiff on Friday June 16 to see Blondie or Peter Kay in concert, or to watch Wales v Armenia will need to allow extra time, and check both outward and return journeys.

For the latest information, visit GWR.com/SevernTunnel.

David Bailey, GWR’s Customer Service Manager for South Wales, said:

“These upgrades in the Severn Tunnel form part of an ongoing programme of work that will enable us to maintain services for those travelling to or from South Wales.

“We’ve been working with other train companies to provide alternatives to ensure that our customers can still complete their journeys during this engineering work.

“Customers for Newport may prefer to travel by train via Gloucester on the weekend of 10/11 June instead of a replacement bus from Bristol Parkway.”

Mark Dix, Project Manager for Network Rail Western, said:

“Thank you for your patience as we carry out track renewal in the Severn Tunnel this summer.

“Owing to the environmental conditions within the tunnel, we have an enhanced programme of track renewals, which includes replacing worn sections of track every 10 years, as opposed to every 25 years for less challenging environments.

“This renewal is therefore part of an ongoing maintenance schedule that is more cost effective than multiple weekend closures and vital to ensure the continued safe and reliable running of train services along this busy route.”