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Thousands of passengers are set to benefit from major improvement work taking place in the Thames Valley this Easter, the biggest package of improvement work carried out on the Western route to date.

Network Rail has unveiled proposals to meet future growth in passenger and freight journeys in Wales and the borders.

Network Rail will soon begin major preparation work in the run up to electrifying the South Wales Mainline.

Glyn Davies, MP for Montgomeryshire, visited Machynlleth station to see how Network Rail is increasing accessibility to give passengers a better travelling experience.

Network Rail has reduced the time it will take to replace an ageing railway bridge in the Vale of Glamorgan with a larger and improved structure. The new bridge will help to reduce a road traffic bottleneck as well as future-proofing the railway for electrification.

Foxhall Road bridge in Didcot reopened yesterday, Tuesday 17 February, after work to prepare it for the electrification of the railway was completed along with improvement work to make the bridge more accessible and safer for its users.

School children were given potentially life-saving lessons at the grounds of Shrewsbury Town FC as they learned about rail safety and the dangers of trespassing on tracks.

Network Rail is seeking to recruit 22 young people from the south west for its award-winning apprenticeship scheme, as it continues the largest investment into the railway since Victorian times.