Media centre

Tuesday 5 May 2026

Trains running again through Bath and Wiltshire following essential maintenance work

Region & Route:

Wales & Western: Western

| Wales & Western

Train services are running normally again through Bath and Wiltshire following two weekends of upgrade work in the area, including track renewal, drainage improvements and a range of maintenance work.

With the work now complete, the line opened as planned this morning (Tuesday 5 May) and trains are operating as normal between Bath Spa, Chippenham and the surrounding area.

Dan Parkes, principal portfolio manager for Network Rail, said: “I'd like to thank passengers for their patience over the past two weekends as we completed essential upgrade and maintenance work in the Bath area, including the replacement of 1.5km of track and installation of 1,200 sleepers and 3,200 tonnes of ballast (track stone).

“This vital work will enable continued safe and reliable train journeys for years to come.”

While the line was closed, engineers took the opportunity to install scaffolding at sites between Bath Spa and Chippenham as Network Rail begins major restoration work on two of the region’s most important railway heritage structures: the Grade II listed Sydney Gardens footbridge and the eastern entrance to the iconic Box Tunnel.

Sydney Gardens footbridge is the last surviving cast‑iron footbridge of its kind on the Great Western Mainline. Designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and set within one of Britain’s oldest Georgian pleasure gardens, the bridge is a rare and revered piece of Victorian engineering history.

Over the next two months, the bridge will undergo grit‑blasting, steel and masonry repairs, a full repaint, and the complete replacement of its wooden deck. To protect the surrounding parkland, the bridge will be fully wrapped while work takes place.

Further along the line east of Bath near Corsham, engineers will also repair and survey the Grade II listed eastern portal of Box Tunnel, another important piece of Brunel’s legacy and one of Britain’s most significant early railway tunnels.