The Office of Rail and Road today accepted Network Rail’s detailed plan to improve train performance across Wales & Western England.

Passengers are being advised to plan ahead this festive period as vital engineering work will be taking place to improve reliability for passengers.

That’s the question put to Network Rail ecologist Alex Baldwin in this short film about some of the reptilian and amphibian wildlife that lives along the line.

• More than 95% of rail network open for business as normal, but some routes will be affected.

• Network Rail will be undertaking a programme of work over Christmas and New Year to improve your railway and provide better, more reliable services for passengers across Britain.

• Timetables for train services running over the festive period will start to go live from this weekend- passengers asked to plan their journeys as soon as they can. Visit National Rail Enquiries or your train operator’s website

Network Rail will upgrade the railway bridge on Peel Road in Thorntonhall from Saturday 5 October.

Journeys between Aylesbury and London Marylebone will be disrupted on Thursday 26 and Friday 27 September to allow for emergency repairs to be made after damage caused by recent heavy rain.

Rail passengers and motorists are being thanked for their patience during work to demolish and rebuild a bridge over the M62.

This Sunday (29 September) changes to services will be in place as TRU completes major upgrade work across two sections of the route from Huddersfield to Dewsbury and Leeds to York.