Train disruption scheduled for festive period

To help keep customers comfortable and minimise crowding, trains will be reservation only

Major construction work to build a new railway station will cause disruption to Great Western Railway (GWR) trains over the festive period.

From Christmas Day, there will be no trains running to or from London Paddington until Monday. Engineering work will also affect services in Wiltshire until 23 January.

This is to allow for work on the new HS2 station at Old Oak Common in west London, and for Network Rail to make improvements to the track, signals and overhead wires.

Affected trains will be diverted or replaced by buses to minimise disruption to passengers. Tickets purchased well in advance will not be affected by the changes.

Westbury railway station will be closed from Friday until 23 January to enable upgrades to the track

The railway through Westbury, as well as between Westbury and Salisbury, will be closed to enable track upgrades close to Westbury station and maintenance of the Sherrington viaduct. Trains will be diverted or replaced by buses.

Most of GWR long-distance services will start from or terminate at Reading, where customers will be able to pick up connecting trains to Ealing Broadway.

From there, London Underground services will be running into central London.

However, those travelling from South Wales, or from Devon and Cornwall, will each have an hourly service diverted into London Euston instead. These trains will not stop at Reading.

The new HS2 station will become the UK's largest railway station built in a single stage, with a total of six high speed rail platforms

Dan Panes, a GWR spokesperson, said: "These changes have been planned in from the very beginning.

"So if you booked a specific train three months ago, that train will still be running.

"We can still get people where they want to go and allow the really important work that HS2 are dong for the wider railway network to take place.

"But we do recognise that it's an inconvenience to customers, so we work hard to plan those changes as effectively as we can to find ways around it."

Network Rail Western Route Director, Marcus Jones explains: "Our festive upgrades ensure the railway runs reliably and safely. 

"Continued investment into upgrading and improving the railway is evidence of our commitment to providing a railway fit for the 21st century.

"We appreciate there is never a good time to disrupt journeys but whenever possible we do this at times when fewer people are travelling, such as at Christmas, on bank holidays or at weekends. 

"We thank passengers in advance for their patience and urge them to please check before they travel."