Easter rail upgrades to affect services through Guildford and South Wales

Network Rail engineers to work around the clock to modernise the network

Key workers travelling across the Great Western Railway network are being urged to check before they travel as Network Rail delivers crucial maintenance works during the Easter period.

This Easter will see improvements take place at Guildford, and between Bristol Parkway and Newport, to help to provide more resilient infrastructure and reliable services.

Network Rail’s Route Director Mike Gallop said:
“The railway continues to play a vital role as it helps key workers such as NHS staff, carers, shop workers plus many others get to their places of work and helps move thousands of tonnes of freight to help keep power stations going, petrol at the pumps, medicines available and supplies in our shops.

“To help keep the railway safely running we have to improve and maintain the railway including over the Easter period. I urge those that are making essential journeys to check before they travel.”

How will my journey be affected?

Bristol Parkway to Newport

• From Saturday 11 to Sunday 19 April, the line between Patchway and Severn Tunnel Junction will be closed, affecting services which use this route
• Trains between London Paddington and South Wales will be diverted after Bristol Parkway towards Bristol Temple Meads where they will start/terminate
• Buses will replace trains between Bristol Parkway and Newport
• A limited train service will continue to run between Newport and Swansea
• Trains which normally run between Portsmouth Harbour/Taunton and Cardiff Central will only run as far as Bristol Temple Meads, with connecting trains running between Bristol Temple Meads and Bristol Parkway

Guildford area

• From Friday 10 to Sunday 19 April, buses will run between North Camp and Redhill (via Guildford)
• Buses will run hourly, calling at all stations between North Camp and Redhill (except Ash and Wanborough)
• An hourly train service will continue to run between Reading and Ash

GWR Performance Director Barry Milsom said:
“Right now, our priority remains to run services that can be relied on at this time of uncertainty, providing essential transport for key workers to get to and from work.

“In order to do so the infrastructure on which our trains depend must be maintained, and improved, to continue to provide resilient and safe rail services.”

The upgrades are part of Network Rail’s five-year railway upgrade plan – a multi-billion-pound investment in the rail network which will improve passenger journeys in the months and years ahead.

A breakdown of how journeys will be affected can be found by visiting:

• nationalrail.co.uk/Easter
• GWR.com/Bristol
• GWR.com/NorthDowns

Notes to editors
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.

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.