Media centre

Monday 24 Sep 2018

Completion of bridge work marks milestone in the project to double the number of tracks into Bristol Temple Meads

Region & Route:

Wales & Western: Western

| Wales & Western

Network Rail completed work to strengthen St Mark’s road bridge in Bristol last month, as part of the project to double the number of railway lines between Bristol Temple Meads and Filton Abbey Wood stations. The tracks are being doubled to enable an increase in trains from 2019 to help meet growing demand.

The strengthening of St Mark’s road bridge was the final piece of bridge work to be completed for the Filton Bank 4 tracking project, which has seen a huge amount of enabling work take place throughout 2018. Earlier this summer the new viaduct at Stapleton Road was installed, providing a complete path for the two new railway lines for the first time.

The project has also seen extensive earthworks carried out as well as platform extensions at Bristol Parkway and the construction of a new platform at Filton Abbey Wood. The upgrading of signalling and laying of new track between Bristol Temple Meads and Filton Abbey Wood continues throughout the autumn and winter of 2018.

Alongside this work, Network Rail’s largest ever signalling upgrade was completed in April of this year, with more than 500 members of Team Orange working around the clock to replace 1970s signalling with state of the art digital equipment.

Together, both projects will transform rail travel into Bristol as part of Network Rail’s Railway Upgrade Plan and enable GWR to continue introducing new electric trains as part of their biggest fleet upgrade in a generation.

Network Rail’s major programmes director David Buisson said: “Doubling the railway lines between Bristol Temple Meads and Filton Abbey Wood is a key part of our Railway Upgrade Plan, increasing capacity from 2019 to help meet growing demand.

The four tracks will also increase the resilience of the railway and assist to reduce the impact of any maintenance work in the area, as well as separating local stopping services from long distance, high-speed trains, improving reliability.”

As part of the Filton Bank 4 tracking project, the railway line between Bristol Temple Meads and Filton Abbey Wood stations – including the Severn Beach line – will be closed for engineering work from Saturday 27 October to Sunday 18 November. Some trains will run to an amended timetable and buses will replace trains on some routes. During this upgrade, hundreds of engineers will be working around the clock to install new track and signals.

Members of the public are invited to find out more about the work at drop-in sessions to be held on Tuesday 25 September at Horfield United Reform Church, Bristol, and Tuesday 2 October at Filton Community Centre, Bristol, from 4:30pm - 7pm.

Passengers are advised to check with their train operator before travelling during the upgrade work using the following links: -

www.gwr.com/bristol2018

www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk/bristol2018

To find out more about the upgrade work in the Bristol area please visit

www.networkrail.co.uk/bristol-upgrades