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Thursday 20 Jun 2024

Passengers between South Wales and Bristol reminded to check before travelling ahead of vital work in Severn Tunnel

Region & Route:

Wales & Western

| Wales & Western: Wales & Borders

| Wales & Western: Western

Passengers are being urged to check before they travel between South Wales and Bristol in July when Network Rail will be replacing track that runs through the Severn Tunnel.

The tunnel will be closed, with trains diverted or replaced by buses, between Wednesday 3 July and Thursday 18 July inclusive as engineers work around the clock in challenging conditions.

They will be replacing 7km of track – the entire length of the South Wales-bound side – by installing 66 rails, each 216m in length.

The team will also be installing 10,800 sleepers and more than 22,000 tonnes of new ballast (track stone), as well as removing 21,000 tonnes of spoil.

In addition, 900m of track will be replaced at Cattybrook, Almondsbury, and more than 230m of track drainage will be replaced at Patchway Gap – between the two Patchway tunnels near Bristol.

The Severn Tunnel will also be closed for follow-up work on the weekends of 27-28 July and 24-25 August.

Salt water makes for a corrosive environment inside the tunnel and track that would usually last 25 years elsewhere on the railway needs to be replaced every ten years.

In 2022, Network Rail replaced 3km of track on the Bristol-bound side of the tunnel, and another 3.2km of track on that side was replaced last June. This year’s work will focus on replacing the entire track in the opposite direction, bringing more reliable journeys for passengers and reducing emergency closures for track repair work.

A limited replacement bus service will run, with passengers being encouraged to travel by train via Gloucester.

Nick Millington, Network Rail Wales and Borders route director, said: “We recognise there is never a good time to close the Severn Tunnel, but we have planned this essential work to minimise disruption as much as possible.

“Our dedicated teams will be working 24/7 in challenging conditions to deliver the largest track replacement in the tunnel for many years, which is vital for the continued safe and reliable running of train services along this busy route.

“We would like to thank passengers for their patience – and urge them to check their journeys before they travel.” 

Marcus Deegan, GWR station manager for Bristol Parkway and Swindon, said: “This rail improvement work forms part of an important programme of maintenance to help ensure we can continue to provide customers with consistent and reliable services.

“To maintain rail connections to and from South Wales, some of our trains will use a different route from normal, via Gloucester, making journeys slightly longer.

“We can only provide a limited replacement bus service between Bristol Parkway and Severn Tunnel Junction in the morning and the evening Monday to Saturday. So instead, we’re asking customers in the Bristol area to stay on the train and to change at Gloucester for train services to South Wales, and vice versa.

“There will be a full rail replacement service on Sundays between Bristol Parkway and Newport as fewer trains will run between Bristol and Gloucester.”

Passengers planning to attend events while the Severn Tunnel is closed ­– notably performances by The National, Manic Street Preachers and Suede, JLS, Idles, Rick Astley, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds and Madness at Cardiff Castle, and by Shania Twain, Tom Jones and Hozier at Chepstow Racecourse – should plan ahead and leave additional time for their journeys.

Network Rail advises all passengers check their journey with National Rail Enquiries or GWR before travelling.