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Monday 6 Oct 2025

Passengers urged to plan ahead owing to further delay with Gloucester resignalling work

Region & Route:

Wales & Western: Western

Network Rail is urging rail passengers travelling between today (Monday 6th October) and Wednesday 8th October to plan ahead owing to a further delay to resignalling work in Gloucester. 

Testing new signalling equipment and bringing it safely into use is taking much longer than planned and trains will now be affected until Wednesday 8 October.

Gloucester station has been closed since Saturday 27 September to allow 10,000 wires to be replaced inside the signal box. It contains some of the oldest electrical equipment on the railway network.

A limited bus service will replace trains on these routes on Tuesday 7 October:

• Cheltenham Spa to Gloucester and Lydney
• Cheltenham Spa to Gloucester and Bristol Parkway
• Cheltenham Spa to Gloucester and Kemble
• Cheltenham Spa to Worcester Shrub Hill

Trains are expected to resume on Wednesday 8 October but services will not run to the normal timetable, with many trains out of position owing to the work. 

Gloucester signal box, built in the 1960s, controls trains travelling from Bristol, Swindon, Worcester and south Wales. Over 12 miles worth of new wiring has been installed to ensure trains can continue to run safely through the area for decades to come.

Network Rail’s Western route director Marcus Jones said:

“We’re so sorry for this extra delay to rail services. Replacing this very old signalling equipment is an extremely complex task and our engineers are working around the clock to complete this vital work. 

“Safety is always our number one priority and we need to make sure the new equipment is thoroughly tested and ready to use before we reopen the railway. That process is unfortunately taking a lot longer than we’d anticipated.

“We’re working alongside train operators to keep people moving via replacement buses where possible. Passengers planning to travel between today and Wednesday morning should make sure to check journeys before travelling via National Rail Enquiries or with their train operator." 

Chloe Coglan, GWR station manager for Cheltenham and Gloucester area, said:

“Due to the over-running engineering work on the signalling that controls trains in the Gloucester area train services are unable to operate as planned.

“As a result, GWR cannot operate any trains between Gloucester and Worcester Shrub Hill, Kemble or Bristol Parkway on Monday and Tuesday. 

“A limited rail replacement service will be provided instead until the lines affected can be reopened again by Network Rail.

“We apologise for the inconvenience this will undoubtedly cause to some customers and we hope to have trains running again.

“Please note, rail replacement services will mean there will be reduced parking spaces available at Gloucester and Cheltenham Spa, plus Bristol Parkway and Stroud stations.”

CrossCountry’s regional director, Georgia Ehrmann, said: 

“We want to thank passengers for their continued patience while the works are completed. As soon as the railway lines are reopened we will resume our full service through Cheltenham to the South West."

Adam Terry, head of performance at Transport for Wales, said: 

“We’d like to thank all our customers for bearing with us while important improvement works are underway. We’re working hard to get everything back on track once works are completed, and as soon as the railway lines reopen, we’ll be running our full service again through Lydney and on to Gloucester.

“Rail replacement services will be in operation and we encourage customers to check our website for the latest information”. 

ENDS