Media centre

• Upgrade will allow line between Chippenham and Swindon to be ready for new Intercity Express Trains which arrive later this year

• Upgraded drainage will help make services more reliable

• To allow the work to be completed the line will be closed for nine days

• Buses will replace trains between Chippenham and Swindon stations

Residents living in Wiltshire and South Gloucestershire are invited to find out more about a crucial upgrade of the Great Western mainline.

Electrification on the Great Western mainline has moved a step closer after Network Rail successfully upgraded the railway in Swindon and Royal Wootton Bassett over the weekend as part of their Railway Upgrade Plan.

Passengers at Filton Abbey Wood station are being reminded that the footpath between the car park and the platforms is to close temporarily from Sunday 7 May.

Passengers planning to use the railway in May are advised to check before they travel ahead of a series of engineering works throughout the month.

Normal service has resumed at Bath Spa station this morning following 16 days of work.

Passengers heading to the London Marathon or into the capital on Sunday are advised to check before they travel as Network Rail carries out vital testing work on the Great Western mainline.

Across Britain, one person trespasses on the railway every hour, putting their lives in danger and in the South West the figures are at an all-time high.