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Monday 26 Mar 2018

Biggest ever upgrade signals the start of Easter in Bristol

Region & Route:

Wales & Western: Western

| Wales & Western

Network Rail’s biggest ever signalling upgrade will take place this Easter in Bristol which will enable GWR to deliver more frequent services to London, quicker journeys and more seats per train from 2019.

The £130m signalling upgrade in Bristol, which forms part of Network Rail’s Railway Upgrade Plan, involves more than 500 members of Team Orange working round the clock to install and test the new signalling equipment.

This signalling upgrade, combined with doubling the number of tracks into Bristol Temple Meads later this year, will transform travel into Bristol, enabling GWR to continue introducing new trains as part of their biggest fleet upgrade for a generation.

The Easter signalling upgrade means that for five days, from Friday 30 March to Tuesday 3 April (inclusive) buses will replace trains between Bristol Temple Meads, Patchway, Bristol Parkway, Bath Spa, Weston-super-Mare, and on the Severn Beach line. Long distance services between London Paddington and South Wales will run as normal; between London Paddington and Bristol Temple Meads services will terminate at Bath Spa. Passengers are advised to check before travelling, and allow more time than usual to complete their journeys.

Mike Gallop, Route Asset Management Director, Network Rail said:

“This Easter we will be delivering our biggest ever signalling upgrade to enable more trains to run and serve the people of Bristol, Bath and the west from the end of the year. 

In the autumn we will be doubling the number of train tracks into Bristol Temple Meads, and combined with the new signalling technology we are installing at Easter, this will enable GWR to run more services to and from London and the West. 

We are working hard to improve services in the Bristol area which in turn help support economic growth in the city and the South West”.

The project comes as GWR continue to add brand new Intercity Express trains to their fleet, which feature more spacious carriages, improved accessibility, and up to 24% more seats that the older High Speed Trains.

GWR operations director Rob Mullen said:

“This work is vital for GWR to be able to continue to deliver the full benefits that our new Intercity Express Train fleet is bringing, including seven trains an hour between London and Bristol, and quicker journey times – further supporting Bristol and its economy”.

For more information visit www.networkrail.co.uk/bristol-upgrades, or follow #SignalBristol on Twitter.

A breakdown of how some journeys will be affected can be found by visiting www.nationalrail.co.uk/Easter and by following #EasterBHWorks on Twitter.

Full details of Easter engineering work throughout the country can be found at www.networkrail.co.uk/easter