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Saturday 21 Jun 2025

Trains running as normal after work completed between Bristol and South Wales

Region & Route:

Wales & Western: Western

Train services have resumed between Bristol and South Wales today (Saturday 21 June) after two weeks of planned essential maintenance on the line.

Since Monday 9 June, Network Rail’s teams have been working day and night at numerous locations, replacing track at Filton and Stoke Gifford in South Gloucestershire as well as compacting stone in nearby Pilning and clearing vegetation at Severn Beach. While the line was closed, we also took the opportunity to complete maintenance inside the Severn Tunnel; all for the continued safe and reliable running of train services.

Work was fully completed in the early hours of this morning and the line reopened in time for the day’s usual train services to resume. During the two weeks of work in South Gloucestershire we installed:

• 2,185 sleepers
• 1,480 tonnes of fresh track stone (ballast)
• 6km of track (plain line)
• 16 switches and crossings panels (which make up points)

The job involved the use of 20 road rail vehicles, 20 engineering trains and three tamping trains.

Passengers are reminded there is planned follow up work due to take place on Sunday 29 June.

Travel arrangements - Sunday 29 June

• Customers travelling between Bristol and South Wales can change at Gloucester or Cheltenham Spa, where trains will still be running to/from South Wales.
• Trains between London and South Wales will be diverted via Gloucester, not stopping at Bristol Parkway, until around 16:00.
• A limited train service will run between London Paddington and Bristol Parkway.
• Replacement buses are also planned between Bristol Parkway and Newport until 15:30.

Please note, ticket acceptance will be in place, meaning free travel with a valid rail ticket on buses:

• Metrobus m4 bus services Bristol Parkway <> Patchway (all dates)
• TrawsCymru T7 bus services Chepstow <> Bristol (9-20 Jun only)

Network Rail programme director Ross Mahoney said:

“Again, I’d like to thanks passengers and residents for their patience over the past fortnight. The work completed on this busy section of the route between Bristol and South Wales is no mean feat - particuarly in the hot weather conditions which bring their own challenges.

“All of this work is vital to ensure the continued safe and reliable running of the railway.”

ENDS