Media centre

Wednesday 4 Aug 2004

PASSENGERS TO BENEFIT FROM £8 MILLION INVESTMENT IN GREAT WESTERN MAINLINE

Region & Route:

| Wales & Western: Western

| Wales & Western

| Southern

Rail customers using the Great Western mainline between London Paddington and the Thames and Kennet Valleys are to benefit from an £8 million engineering project designed to improve the punctuality and reliability of train services. Work to install 14 sets of new, crucial, points gets underway on Saturday 21 August when two of the four tracks on the line will close.  The remaining two lines will close on Saturday 28 August when 100 engineers will work around-the-clock to complete the project.  All four lines will re-open to train services on Tuesday 31 August. John Curley, Network Rail Route Director, said: “This vital engineering work is essential to improve the reliability of the infrastructure to deliver better, more punctual, train journeys for passengers. We do understand that the changes to services might cause inconvenience, but we hope that passengers understand the importance of the work for the long-term future of the railway.”             Linda Hill, Head of Customer Services at First Great Western and First Great Western Link continued: “This is a crucial project and we have drawn up the best possible timetable for our customers while allowing Network Rail to complete the work. Infrastructure improvements like this are vital to cement First Great Western’s position as the UK’s best performing long-distance operator and to improve the performance of the newly-formed First Great Western Link.” - more - Slough – 2 Heathrow Express will operate a normal service from London Paddington during the engineering work. Reading station will also remain open throughout the bank holiday weekend. First Great Western Link services from Monday 23 to Friday 27 August: ·        Some First Great Western Link services to and from London Paddington, serving Oxfordshire, Herefordshire, Stratford-upon-Avon, Wiltshire, Berkshire the North Cotwolds will terminate/start at Reading or Didcot Parkway. ·        Burnham and Taplow stations will be served by road transport from Slough and Maidenhead. ·        Most services on the Windsor, Marlow and Henley branch lines will be retimed. ·        Services to and from Basingstoke, Guildford, Gatwick Airport and Greenford will be subject to minor retimings. First Great Western Link services from Saturday 28 to Monday 30 August: ·        Two services will operate each hour between London Paddington and Langley with four services each hour between Maidenhead and Reading. ·        Services to and from Oxford will start/terminate at Maidenhead with services to Newbury, Bedwyn and the Cotsowlds starting/terminating at Reading. ·        Services on the Marlow and Windsor branches will run as normal, however services between Reading and Henley-on-Thames will operate between Twyford and Henley-on-Thames only. ·        An intensive replacement bus service will operate between Langley and Maidenhead, serving Slough. Passengers for Burnham and Taplow stations are advised to travel to Maidenhead, connecting with a shuttle train service to Burnham. ·        For customers leaving the Reading Festival, a coach service will run from Reading to London Paddington on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings until the early hours of the following morning. Customers can also contact National Rail Enquiries on 08457 48 49 50 or consult www.nationalrail.co.uk before travelling.