Saturday 17 May 2025
Trains running as normal between Gloucester and Chepstow following Severn Estuary work
- Region & Route:
- Wales & Western: Western
Trains between Gloucester and Chepstow are back up and running this morning (Saturday 17th May) after Network Rail successfully completed five days of non-stop work alongside the Severn Estuary in Gloucestershire.
At Newnham-on-Severn, drainage was replaced east of the railway tunnel to improve resilience, whilst 700 yards of track that had reached the end of its working life was replaced near Lydney. Preparation also took place to upgrade Broken Cross level crossing near Westbury-on-Severn. The work will help keep journeys safe and smooth on the railway that links the Midlands and South Wales.
This was the first of three periods of work between Gloucester and Chepstow this year. From Saturday 26 July to Saturday 16 August, the next stage of the Severn Estuary Resilience Programme [https://www.networkrail.co.uk/running-the-railway/our-routes/wales/severn-estuary-resilience-programme/] takes place to protect the railway from the environment. The railway will be temporarily closed during this time.
250 yards of track through Newnham tunnel will be replaced and further drainage improvements made. Preparation will also take place to upgrade signal equipment – part of the Gloucester Area Signal Programme [https://www.networkrail.co.uk/running-the-railway/our-routes/western/gloucester-area-upgrades/].
The main phase of work for the signal programme will take place from Saturday 27 September to Sunday 5 October, where buses will again replace trains between Gloucester, Lydney and Chepstow.
Network Rail project manager Tom Hounslow said:
“I’d like to thank passengers for their patience as we completed these vital pieces of work to keep trains running safely and reliably for the future.
“Further work to improve the resilience of the railway in the area will take place over the summer, so please make sure to plan ahead if you’re planning to travel over late July and early August.”
CrossCountry’s regional director Bethan Jelfs said:
“We’re grateful to Network Rail for completing this important work on time. Disrupting our passengers is always unfortunate, but these works were important to keep the line open for their future journeys.”
ENDS
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