Planned engineering work in the Bristol area may affect your rail journey

Track and signalling are being renewed to support increased train services in the Bristol area and work is also taking place to construct a new station at Portway Park & Ride.

Thanks to track and signal upgrades at Bristol Temple Meads last summer, Great Western Railway is now able to operate up to two trains an hour on the Severn Beach line, which has been delivered as part of the West of England Combined Authority’s MetroWest programme.

However, further rail improvements are needed for new train services serving additional railway stations as part of the Bristol Rail Regeneration programme.

As a result, from Saturday 19 to Sunday 27 February, buses will replace trains between Bristol Temple Meads and Severn Beach, plus between Filton Abbey Wood and Lawrence Hill.

This temporary line closure will allow Network Rail to upgrade the track and signalling between Bristol Temple Meads and Filton Abbey Wood.

This will also enable them to carry out signalling work and build the concrete foundations for the new platform alongside the Portway Park & Ride on the Severn Beach line.

During this time:

• Trains between Bristol Temple Meads and Filton Abbey Wood will run to an amended timetable, not stopping at Lawrence Hill or Stapleton Road
• Buses will replace trains on the Severn Beach line, including services at Lawrence Hill and Stapleton Road
• Valid rail tickets will also be accepted on First West of England buses via any reasonable route
• For the latest information, visit our website at GWR.com/Bristol.

GWR Station Manager for Bristol Temple Meads and the Severn Beach line, Alex Hills said:

“This work builds on the improvements in the Bristol area that have been delivered to enable GWR to provide more opportunities to travel by rail.

“Although the main lines between Bristol Temple Meads and Filton Abbey Wood remain open during this period, trains cannot stop at either Lawrence Hill or Stapleton Road.

“We’ll continue to keep people moving, but I’d encourage those who travel to check beforehand as departure times may be different to normal and journey times extended.”

Bristol City Council and Network Rail are working together to deliver the first new railway station in the West of England Combined Authority area in 26 years, at Portway Park & Ride, in Avonmouth.

The £4 million project forms part of the West of England Combined Authority’s wider plans to enhance the local rail network through the ambitious MetroWest programme. The station is being jointly funded by Bristol City Council, the Combined Authority and the government’s Department for Transport.

Network Rail Programme Manager, Capital Delivery Building and Civils, Dan Parkes said:

“We are pleased to be starting work on the construction of the new Portway Park & Ride station, which once finished, will help further connect communities served by the Severn Beach line with this new, additional station.

“Our planned engineering work during this week-long closure is vital in enabling us to reconfigure the signalling needed to accommodate the new station as well as build the concrete foundations in preparation for the new platform. During this time, we’ll also be making improvements to drainage along the railway line.

“We thank passengers and local residents in advance for their patience and understanding while we make these important upgrades.”

Preparatory works are underway, and the station is due to open this summer with half-hourly train services to complement the existing city centre bus services.

Network Rail will also make use of the line closure to carry out essential track maintenance at Clifton Down and St Andrews Road.

Notes to editors

First Greater Western Limited, trading as “Great Western Railway” (GWR), operates trains across the Great Western franchise area, which includes South Wales, the West Country, the Cotswolds, across southern England and into London. GWR provides high speed, commuter, regional and branch line train services, and before the covid-19 pandemic helped over 100 million passengers reach their destinations every year. GWR was recently awarded an extension to its direct award franchise (called DA3), which shall run up to 31 March 2023, with an option to extend for a further year. Find out more here: https://www.gwr.com/about-us

GWR’s enhanced cleaning regime includes:

• A 24% increase in cleaning hours every week since March 2020
• Sanitising (fogging) of 1,120 vehicles every 4 weeks
• Carrying out 2,150 on board surface tests (ATP) every four weeks, to ensure the effectiveness of our cleaning
• 272 train cleaning processes reviewed, and many adapted
• Hand sanitising facilities at key stations across its network.