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Friday 29 Nov 2024

One month until vital railway upgrades start in Westbury

Region & Route:

Wales & Western: Western

| Wales & Western

Passengers are being reminded to prepare for a four-week period of railway upgrade work in and around Westbury station, that will improve performance of train services and ensure the continued safe and reliable running of the railway for years to come.

Once the last train is clear of Westbury station on Christmas Eve, Network Rail engineers will start work on the replacement of Westbury South junction, a crucial section of track that allows trains to change from one line to another on the way to and from the station’s platforms.

The team will be working 24/7 from Christmas Eve, until the early hours of Friday 24 January, when train services are due to resume.

The work involves fully replacing the track and ballast stone to update worn components. They will also be fine tuning signalling in the area and making adjustments to the platform edge stones at the station.

While the work is taking place, further south along the line towards Salisbury, another team will be carrying out strengthening work on Sherrington Viaduct, which runs over the River Wyle. Making the most of the opportunity while Westbury station is out of action, Great Western Railway will also be carrying out minor refurbishments at the station itself.

Travel information:

For four weeks, from Friday 27 December to Thursday 23 January, no trains will run through or stop at Westbury.

• Passengers for Swindon, Chippenham, Bath, Bristol or Cardiff Central will change at Trowbridge,
• Passengers for the Somerset, Devon and Cornwall will change at Frome,
• Passengers for Berkshire, Reading and London will change at Frome,
• Passengers for Yeovil and South Coast will change at Frome,
• Rail replacement services will operate from Westbury to Trowbridge, Frome, Dilton Marsh, Warminster and Salisbury.

Passengers are reminded to allow extra time for their journey and to check before they travel during these dates. To check your journey, go to www.nationalrail.co.uk or www.GWR.com/upgrade

London Paddington closure: Please note, between Friday 27 and Sunday 29 December, the railway line between Ealing Broadway and London Paddington will be closed. For more information, visit GWR.com/OOC

Clarisse Grother, Senior Programme Manager, for Network Rail said: “Westbury South junction is a vital piece of infrastructure that allows passenger and freight services to switch between lines on this very busy section of the route.

“Replacing it is a huge job but doing so now will safeguard train operations in this area for years to come. We’d like to thank residents and passenger for their patience while this work is completed this winter.”

Jordan Welsby, GWR’s Station Manager for Westbury, Wiltshire and Dorset, said: “This work forms part of an ongoing programme of maintenance, helping to ensure we can continue to provide consistent and reliable services.

“Some trains will use an alternative route not stopping at Westbury with rail replacement services provided for customers between Westbury and Frome, Salisbury, Chippenham or Trowbridge.

“As an alternative, valid rail tickets can also be used to travel on local buses in the area. For the latest information, visit GWR.com/Wessex.

“It’s important that customers are aware these alternative travel arrangements will make journey times much longer, so please plan ahead.”

Network Rail and GWR have been holding community drop-in sessions about the work during November, with two more to follow in December as below:

• Monday 2 December: 4pm - 7pm, Westbury (Wilts) Community Project, Eden Road, BA13 3NY
• Thursday 12 December: 4pm - 7pm, Westbury Station, Station Approach, BA13 4HP