Media centre

Tuesday 28 Jun 2022

Passengers between South Wales and Bristol reminded to check before travelling ahead of essential upgrade works in the Severn Tunnel

Region & Route:

Wales & Western: Wales & Borders

| Wales & Western

More than two miles of track will be renewed in the tunnel this summer to make passengers' journeys quicker and more reliable in the future.

Network Rail will begin essential track maintenance, as well as testing the electrical power supply, in the Severn Tunnel during July and August, 2022.

More than two miles of track, sleepers and ballast (the stones on the railway) will be replaced to ensure the continued safe and reliable operation of the railway.

The new track will also enable the removal of a temporary 50mph speed restriction that has been in place in recent weeks, making passenger’s journeys quicker and more reliable in the future.

The track work will affect Great Western Railway services from Friday 1 to Sunday 10 July.

• Trains between London and South Wales will use an alternative route between Swindon and Newport – stopping at Gloucester instead of Bristol Parkway
• A limited train service will still run between London Paddington and Bristol Parkway on weekdays only – otherwise travel via Bristol Temple Meads instead
• Buses replace trains between Bristol Parkway and Newport

In addition, buses will also replace trains at Lawrence Hill and Stapleton Road for Filton Abbey Wood or Bristol Parkway on Friday 8 and Saturday 9 July

Follow-up engineering work is planned that will affect trains between Bristol and South Wales on Sunday 17 July and again on Sunday 14 August (until midday).

Mark Dix, Project Manager at Network Rail said: “The Severn Tunnel is a vital rail link for passengers travelling between Wales and England, so it is extremely important that we invest in its future.

“Once this work is finished, passengers travelling via Bristol Parkway will experience fewer delays with much more reliable journeys.

“I appreciate that this work is going to cause some disruption for passengers, so I would like to thank them in advance for their patience.”

David Bailey, GWR’s customer service manager for South Wales, said: “The work inside the Severn Tunnel will support our train service in Wales, especially those trains running under electric power serving Cardiff Central and Newport.

“We will divert long-distance trains via an alternative route and provide road transport between Newport and Bristol Parkway to ensure customers can complete their journeys.”

For the latest information, visit our website at GWR.com/Bristol.