Bristol Temple Meads service upheaval as Network Rail work begins

Passengers using services that pass through Bristol Temple Meads are being urged to check timetables in advance

Eight weeks of disruption begins this weekend for rail passengers as Network Rail replaces tracks and signals.

Some services to and from Bristol Temple Meads will be replaced by bus journeys, starting on 10 July, and some timetables will change.

In late August the station will close completely for five days.

The Bristol Rail Regeneration programme also involves renovation of the Grade I station including roof repairs and more shops will be added to the station.

Network Rail said the new tracks and signalling would increase capacity on lines in and around Bristol, allowing more trains to be added to the network.

Between 10 July and 6 August there will be no direct trains between Bristol Temple Meads and Cardiff or Gloucester, and buses will replace trains between Temple Meads and Bristol Parkway and Temple Meads and Severn Beach.

The platform has been extended at Bedminster station for when it becomes the temporary terminus for trains arriving in Bristol from the south west

On the weekend of 6 and 7 August there will be major changes including to services from London Paddington to Bristol and Portsmouth to Cardiff Central.

Throughout most of August there will be disruption to services between Bristol and Bath Spa.

No trains will run to or from Temple Meads between 31 August and 3 September.

Great Western Railway (GWR) trains to and from Bristol to Weston-super-Mare and the south west will stop at Bedminster during this period.

As well as the track replacement work, Temple Meads itself is getting an upgrade, which includes roof repairs and more shops being added to the station.

Matt Barnes, GWR's Regional Development Manager, said: "This work will, in time, help us to deliver 4,000 more train seats a day into the city, on more services through Bristol and help to reduce the conflict between long-distance and local stopping services, helping to maintain the reliability of our trains."

He said passengers should check in advance for any changes to their journey over the summer.