Media centre

Monday 19 Dec 2016

Pencoed Level Crossing closed over Christmas for essential upgrade work

Region & Route:

Wales & Western: Wales & Borders

| Wales & Western

Essential upgrade work to improve the road surface over Pencoed level crossing will be taking place during the Christmas period as part of Network Rail’s Railway Upgrade Plan.

The road over the Bridgend crossing in South Wales will be closed to pedestrians and vehicles from 22:00 on Saturday 24 December to 04:00 on Thursday 29 December 2016. To undertake the work safely, the level crossing will be fenced off but pedestrians will still be able to cross over the railway using the footbridge at Pencoed station. A diversionary route for vehicles will be in place during this time, which will be fully signposted and the work will see only the road over the crossing closed, with access maintained to nearby properties and side-streets.

Less able pedestrians will be able to cross the railway using the nearby, fully accessible Penprysg Road footbridge.

Dave Stanbury, Programme Manager for Network Rail Wales said “We would like to thank the local community and road users for bearing with us whilst we undertake this essential work. We understand that closing the road over the Christmas period is not ideal; however, the work has been carefully planned in at the time when no train services are scheduled to run on this section of track to minimise disruption.”

Councillor Ceri Reeves, Cabinet Member for Communities at Bridgend County Borough Council, added: “This work will benefit motorists, pedestrians and the local community alike, and every effort is being made to keep inconvenience to an absolute minimum.”

Alongside the work at Pencoed Level Crossing, Network Rail Wales is undertaking major upgrade work in the South Wales area, commissioning the £300m Cardiff area signalling renewals project to modernise the Cardiff and Valleys network-the largest signalling project of its kind to be commissioned on the rail network.

Mr Stanbury continued: “This essential work is all part of Network Rail’s Railway Upgrade Plan and is taking place while the railway is closed for the final phase of the Cardiff area signalling renewal scheme. There are changes to rail services in the South Wales area over the festive period, while the upgrade work is taking place, so we strongly advise passengers to plan their journeys ahead.”

Passengers can find a breakdown of how their journey may be affected by visiting nationalrail.co.uk/Christmas and following #ChristmasWorks on Twitter.

The Cardiff Area Signalling Renewal scheme will help to reduce congestion and deliver a more reliable railway across the Cardiff and Valleys network as Network Rail prepares the railway for the arrival of a new fleet of bigger, faster and greener electric trains.

 

 

Notes to Editor:

Temporary closures of Pencoed level crossing will begin at 22.00 on December 24;

Level Crossing                      Closed until:

Pencoed, Hendre Road      4.00am on 29 December

 

Cardiff Area Signalling Renewal scheme:

Description: As part of a £300m scheme to modernise the railway in South Wales – the biggest investment in the Welsh network for more than 100 years – CASR is a congestion-busting scheme that will also help to deliver a more reliable railway across the Cardiff and Valleys network. The work over Christmas will see the biggest commission of remodelling and re-signalling in Wales ever starting on Christmas Eve until 3 January.

Impact: There will be no train services late on Christmas Eve between Cardiff Central, Bridgend, Newport and the Valleys and there will be bus replacements and diversions in place between Cardiff Central, Bridgend, Newport and the Valleys from 27 December until 3 January.

Work on this major project will begin on Christmas Eve this year. This is because Christmas Eve falls on a Saturday so we expect many people to have completed their journey on Friday, 23 December, and the railway to be quieter.