Rail and road disruption warning due to works
- Published
Travellers can expect disruption on the West's rail lines and roads for several days as multiple improvement works begin.
Great Western Railway (GWR) is starting planned track renewal work around Bristol.
Works are planned between Bath Spa and Westbury on Sunday 27 October and between Bath Spa and Bristol Temple Meads from Monday to Thursday 31 October, meaning no trains will run between those stations.
Long delays are also expected near the A4 Globe Roundabout between Bristol and Bath from Friday until 3 November due to temporary traffic lights.
On Sunday there will be trains between Bath, Bristol and Cardiff but with rail replacement services from Bath to the Wiltshire stations.
From Monday until Thursday, the line between Bath Spa and Bristol Temple Meads will be closed and buses will replace trains.
GWR says there will be one train an hour between London Paddington and Bristol Temple Meads via an alternative route which does not call at Chippenham or Bath Spa.
There will also be one train an hour running to and from London Paddington as far as Bath Spa.
Rail disruption details:
Sunday 27 October
Trains will be running between:
Bath Spa and Bristol Temple Meads or Cardiff Central
Westbury and Portsmouth Harbour or Weymouth
Replacement buses are planned between:
Bath Spa, Bradford-on-Avon, Trowbridge and Westbury
Bath Spa, Freshford, Avoncliff* and Bradford-on-Avon
*buses stop in Westwood Village
Monday 28 to Thursday 31 October
Trains between London Paddington and Bristol Temple Meads will use an alternative route – not stopping at Chippenham or Bath Spa.
A reduced train service will be operating between London Paddington and Bath Spa via Chippenham.
Trains will also be running between:
Bath Spa and Westbury, Portsmouth Harbour or Weymouth
Bristol Temple Meads and Cardiff Central, Gloucester or Worcester
Replacement buses are planned between Bath Spa and Bristol Temple Meads.
Disruption is also expected from later today on the roads around the A4 Globe Roundabout near Newton St Loe.
Wales and West Utilities is set to start work at about 21:00 BST on Friday 25 October with the work expected to be done by Sunday 3 November.
No road closures are needed for the works, but the A4 Globe Roundabout will be controlled by temporary signals, which the council says is "expected to cause long delays".
Councillor Manda Rigby, cabinet member for Highways, said: “We’ve worked with Wales and West Utilities to minimise the impact these works will have on the highway network but given their location and impact on the A4 Globe Roundabout, we do expect delays.
"We specifically allowed these works to take place over the school holidays to take advantage of reduced traffic.”
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- Published20 October