Wednesday 5 Jul 2017
Upgrade work at Chippenham means nine day closure from this weekend
- Region & Route:
- Wales & Western: Western
- | Wales & Western
- Work will allow line between Chippenham and Swindon to be electrified
- Upgraded drainage will help make services more reliable
Network Rail and GWR are reminding passengers that the railway near Chippenham will be closed for nine days from next week (Friday 8 July) as part of a £3.5m investment.
The project at Dauntsey and Langley Burrell near Chippenham forms part of Network Rail’s Railway Upgrade Plan where track will be lowered under two listed bridges which will allow new electric services to run on the line later this year.
In addition to the track lowering, engineers will be installing a drainage culvert which will help reduce the chance of the line flooding in the future.
In order to achieve this, the line at Dauntsey and Langley Burrell will be closed for nine days between Friday 8 July and Sunday 16 July. Throughout the closure of the line there will be alterations to services to and from Swindon, Chippenham and Bristol.
Buses will replace trains between Chippenham and Swindon stations.
Samantha Patterson, Network Rail scheme sponsor, said: “This investment at Dauntsey is key to modernising the railway through the area and providing passengers with a better, more reliable railway.
“There is never a good time to close the railway for any length of time but we have looked at all options and worked with GWR to complete this work at a time which will cause least disruption to passengers.
“Our Railway Upgrade Plan is delivering significant investment into the railway network which will provide a better, more reliable railway for passengers.”
A GWR spokesperson said: "We've worked closely with Network Rail to minimise the impact to our customers, diverting some trains away from the area and providing a comprehensive replacement bus service as an alternative where necessary.
“Later this year our brand new fleet of trains will begin operating on this route, and this is another key milestone towards providing more seats and greater reliability on train services through Swindon and Chippenham."
Passengers are advised to check before they travel at www.nationalrail.co.uk for the latest information.
For more information on the scheme call Network Rail’s 24-hour helpline on 03457 114 141.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
Impact:
Saturday 8, Sunday 9 and Sunday 16 July 2017
- Two trains an hour between Bristol Temple Meads and London Paddington
- One calling at Swindon, Reading and London Paddington
- One calling at Bath Spa, Reading and London Paddington
- Buses will replace trains between Bath Spa and Swindon via Chippenham as well as on the Melksham line.
- Buses will replace trains between Swindon and Chippenham.
From Monday 10 until Saturday 15 July 2017:
- Two trains an hour between Bristol Temple Meads and London Paddington
- One calling at Swindon, Reading and London Paddington
- One calling at Bath Spa, Reading and London Paddington
- One train an hour between Bristol Temple Meads and Chippenham
- Westbury services via Melksham to Swindon, will start/terminate at Chippenham
- Buses will replace trains between Bath Spa and Swindon via Chippenham as well as on the Melksham line.
- Buses will replace trains between Swindon and Chippenham.
Contact information
Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41
Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries
Journalists
Network Rail press office -Western route
MediaRelationsWestern@networkrail.co.uk
About Network Rail
We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.
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