Wednesday 14 Dec 2005

GETTING YULE HOME THIS CHRISTMAS

Region & Route:
| Wales & Western: Wales & Borders
| Wales & Western
There won’t be any turkey or tinsel for many Network Rail employees in Wales and the West Country this Christmas as they forfeit their Christmas dinners to undertake a number of railway improvements throughout the area. Robbie Burns, Network Rail’s Western Route Director, said: “The Christmas break is the perfect time for us to continue our investment into the region’s railway. “Many of our dedicated railway staff will be hard at work over the festive break, forgoing their Christmas dinners and time with their families to undertake these works, helping to deliver a better performing railway for the travelling public.” Works that will be taking place:
  • From Monday 26 – Saturday 31 December, we will be undertaking track renewals and bridge work between Bridgwater and Taunton/Castle Cary and Cogload.  This means that trains to Exeter will be diverted via Yeovil and Honiton, and replacement buses will be operating between Castle Cary & Taunton and Bridgwater & Taunton
  • From Sunday 25 – Wednesday 28 December, we will be re-railing between Severn Tunnel Junction and Magor.  This will mean fewer services and longer journey times for passengers travelling between Bristol and Newport.
  • From Saturday 24 December – Monday 2 January, Cardiff West Junction will be re-modelled.  There will be reduced services for those travelling on the mainline between Newport and Swansea and to the Valley lines and a reduction in the number of platforms in service at Cardiff Central Station
  Passengers are advised to contact their local train operating company if they are planning to travel on any of these routes during this period, call National Rail Enquiries on 08457 48 49 50 or visit www.nationalrail.co.uk.

Contact information

Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41

Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries

Journalists
Network Rail press office -Western route
MediaRelationsWestern@networkrail.co.uk

About Network Rail

We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.

Usually, there are almost five million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain's railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway, so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.

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