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Thursday 8 Sep 2016

The 130-year-old Severn Tunnel to close for six weeks for essential railway upgrade

Region & Route:

| Wales & Western: Wales & Borders

| Wales & Western

The 130-year-old Severn Tunnel will close for six weeks from Monday (12 September) to upgrade it in preparation for a fleet of brand new electric trains, which will result in more seats and faster, more reliable train journeys – all part of Network Rail’s Railway Upgrade Plan to provide a bigger, better railway for passengers

South Wales Mainline passengers travelling on Great Western Railway (GWR) services are being reminded to plan their journeys ahead as services will be diverted between Swindon and Newport from Monday until Friday, 21 October, increasing journey times by approximately 35 minutes.

During the six week closure Network Rail’s orange army of 200 engineers will work day and night in the tunnel to install over eight miles of electrical equipment which will power a new fleet of electric trains in the future.

Andy Thomas, route managing director for Network Rail Wales, said: “Wales is open to passengers and freight traffic during this essential upgrade but we are urging people to plan their journey ahead.

“This iconic project marks a major milestone in the delivery of electric trains to Cardiff by 2019. There are significant long-term benefits including faster, greener, more frequent trains as well as boosting economic growth in South Wales thanks to better connectivity to and from London, a critical factor for attracting inward investment.

“We would like to thank passengers for their understanding and patience as we complete this essential upgrade."

GWR development manager, Wales, Mark Youngman said: "The electrification of the Severn Tunnel is a vital part in the modernisation of the railway between South Wales and London; and once complete will enable us to deliver more frequent services, more seats, and to reduce journey times into London from South Wales.

“We have been working closely with Network Rail and local authorities in Wales and along the route to make sure that we keep customers on trains wherever possible and provide the quickest, most convenient journey to their destination, minimising disruption as best we can.”

The scale of the engineering challenge and the extensive amount of machinery required to complete the essential upgrade work of the four mile long tunnel means that the closure is unavoidable.

A significant amount of preparation work has already been completed ahead of the temporary closure. Of the 3,500 hours of preparatory work already undertaken, forty tonnes of soot that had built up in the tunnel crown has been removed, brick work inspected, four miles of redundant cable removed, over 12,000 holes drilled using a custom-made drilling rig and over six thousand cable cleats installed (see video attached).

ENDS

Notes to editor

How will my journey be affected?

• One service an hour between Paddington, Newport and Cardiff/Swansea (not calling at Bristol parkway)
• One service an hour between Paddington and Bristol Parkway, calling at normal timetabled stopsReplacement buses will run between Severn Tunnel Junction and Bristol Parkway, and between Bristol Parkway and Newport, and journey times involving a replacement bus are likely to be extended by approximately 45 minutes
• What about other rail services?
• Replacement buses

• Trains will run between Bristol Parkway and Portsmouth Harbour
• Trains will run between Bristol Parkway and Taunton; services to Weston-Super-Mare that would normally start/terminate at Bristol Parkway will start from Filton Abbey Wood.
• Additional work on the railway line will also see passenger journeys’ altered on a number of weekends between September and October. For further information about how your journey may be affected please click here for more details.Great Western Railway (GWR) provides high speed, commuter, regional and branch line train services. We help over 100 million passengers reach their destinations every year - across South Wales, the West Country, the Cotswolds, and large parts of Southern England.About the Severn Tunnel upgrade
• More travel information about the Severn Tunnel project can be found at: https://www.gwr.com/travel-updates/planned-engineering/severn-tunnel
• We’re currently seeing the biggest investment in the network since Brunel so we can offer more trains, more seats, and shorter, more frequent journeys and continue the network’s heritage of helping connect more businesses to new and prosperous markets. Through a series of initiatives we aim to be a good neighbour to the communities we serve and are committed to making a positive social impact in those regions. Learn how we're Building a Greater West at GWR.com. GWR is a FirstGroup company.
• About Great Western Railway