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For the next two weekends (23-25 November, 30 November-2 December), engineering work will be taking place as part Network Rail’s performance improvement plan – known as Project Brunel – which will mean a reduced train service is operating between London Paddington, Heathrow Airport and Reading. This work includes vital drainage upgrades for areas of the line that frequently flood, as well as replacing track and sleepers (which support the rails) that have come to the end of their useable life.

Network Rail is urging drivers to ‘Wise Up, Size Up’ and take better care on the roads as it emerged several of Britain’s most bashed bridges are on the South Wales Main Line.

• New figures released by Network Rail show that a bridge in Twerton, a suburb of Bath, was the tenth most-struck bridge in the UK over the past year.
• The bridge was struck 10 times, resulting in over 12 hours of disruption caused by the collisions.  Bridge strikes at the location were up by over 300% on the previous year, when vehicles struck the bridge a total of three times.
• Network Rail urges lorry drivers to ‘Wise Up, Size Up’ by knowing the height of their vehicles and choosing suitable routes before they head out on journeys.

Network Rail has joined forces with Transport for Wales and Avanti West Coast to launch a local railway unit dedicated to North Wales: Rheilffordd Gogledd Cymru.

Passengers are urged to check before they travel between Bridgend and Cardiff on three Sundays in November and December, when Network Rail will be carrying out essential engineering work.

Passengers are advised to check their journeys between Newquay and Par ahead of major engineering work to help create Mid Cornwall Metro (MCM), which affects trains from Monday 18 November.

Passengers advised to travel the day before or day after.

Passengers are urged to check before they travel between Swansea and Llandrindod later this month, when Network Rail will be carrying out essential engineering work at a viaduct on the Heart of Wales Line.