Media centre

Tuesday 27 Oct 2015

Weekend rail passengers advised to check before travelling between Cardiff and Bristol

Region & Route:

| Wales & Western: Wales & Borders

| Wales & Western

Passengers travelling between Cardiff and Bristol Parkway are advised to check before travelling on weekends from 31 October to 6 December while Network Rail carries out essential improvement work as part of its Railway Upgrade Plan.

Engineers will be working in the Severn Tunnel every weekend from late October until early December. The tunnel is closed every year to allow this essential work to be carried out safely, with the work carried out on weekends when the railway is quieter. This year the work was postponed to ensure that fans travelling to Cardiff for the Rugby World Cup were not disrupted.

On the weekends of 31 October/1 November, 28/29 November and 5/6 December, services between Cardiff and Bristol will be diverted via Gloucester, adding approximately an hour to journey times.

The railway will also be closed between Cardiff and Newport on the weekends of 7/8 and 14/15 November so that work can be carried out as part of a project to modernise the railway in South Wales. This includes replacing ageing signalling equipment, enhancing track layouts, building new platforms and improving stations. During these weekends, rail replacement bus services will operate between Cardiff and Bristol.

Paul McMahon, acting route managing director for Network Rail Wales, said: “With more and more people travelling by rail every day, our work to modernise the railway in South Wales is absolutely vital to supporting economic growth in the region.

“Re-signalling the railway in the Cardiff area will help to improve the reliability of rail services and carrying out annual essential maintenance in the 130-year-old Severn Tunnel ensures the railway continues to remain safe and reliable for passengers.  

“I’m sorry that our work means changes to services, but with fewer passengers travelling over the weekends, this gives us the best opportunity to do this improvement work – a crucial part of our Railway Upgrade Plan – while minimising disruption to passengers.”

The Severn Tunnel will be closed for routine maintenance work on the following weekends:

• From 23:55 on Saturday 31 October until 03:50 Monday 2 November
• From 02:25 on Saturday 7 until 03:50 Monday 9 November
• From 02:25 on Saturday 14 until 03:50 Monday 16 November
• From 02:25 on Saturday 28 until 03:50 Monday 30 November
• From 02:25 on Saturday 5 until 03:50 Monday 7 December

The railway will be closed between Cardiff and Newport on the following weekends:

• From 01:00 on Saturday 7 until 03:00 Monday 9 November
• From 01:00 on Saturday 14 until 03:00 Monday 16 November

Passengers are advised to check journey plans on train operators’ websites or by visiting www.nationalrail.co.uk. 

Members of the public who have questions about the improvement work can call Network Rail’s 24-Hour National Helpline on 03457 11 41 41 or email CRWales@networkrail.co.uk.