Rail passengers are being reminded to plan their journeys before travelling, ahead of a six-week closure of the Severn Tunnel to prepare the Great Western Mainline for a brand new fleet of electric trains.

Network Rail has appointed Becky Lumlock as route managing director for Wessex, one of the busiest routes on the rail network which includes Britain’s busiest railway station, Waterloo, and the major commuter area to the south and west of London.

Passengers traveling to and from Barnsley are being advised to check before they travel as Network Rail plans to replace the track at a busy level crossing in the town centre.

A full train service will resume from tomorrow morning after Network Rail completed the first phase of repairs to the partially collapsed road-over-rail bridge in Barrow upon Soar. 

An advanced signalling system that will allow trains to travel every two to three minutes through central London was successfully tested using Govia Thameslink Railway’s new Siemens Class 700 trains for the first time.

Network Rail’s £76m upgrade to track and signalling on the Chiltern main line, which will help with reliability and punctuality between the West Midlands and London, is progressing on schedule as the nine-day closure of the line reaches the mid-point.

Network Rail engineers and East Midlands Trains have confirmed that a near normal train service will run today (Wednesday 3 August).