Westbury rail engineering work delays 'causing chaos'
- Published
Network Rail said it did not know how long it would take for services to get back to normal
Overrunning engineering work is likely to delay the reopening of a major railway line for the rest of the day.
Work to lay new track and extend the platform at Westbury, Wiltshire, took place over the festive period.
It was due have been completed by Friday morning but Network Rail said a problem with new signals was expected to continue into the evening.
The disruption has been described as causing "absolute chaos". Replacement buses have been operating.
Project manager Sarah Fraser said the delay was caused by a "significant issue" with the signalling system.
"There are some emerging issues and we are not able to tell at the moment what it's going to take to get them fixed," she added.
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Great Western Railway said road replacement transport had been put in place.
James Davis, from the rail firm, said it was "unlikely" services would be back to normal on Friday.
Some commuters took to social media to vent their frustration over the disruption, which has affected the line between Trowbridge and Warminster.
Passenger Sheyde Bolton said it was "absolute chaos", while Liz Hudson said it was "really not good enough" that her expected train had not arrived.
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The improvements over Christmas, costing £25m, were part of ongoing electrification work on the Great Western network.
Travellers have been urged to check the National Rail Enquiries website for the latest travel information.
On Wednesday, Transport Secretary Chris Grayling accused trade unions of driving the 3.1% increase in rail fares in England and Wales.
He said unions had demanded "higher pay rises than anyone else" and threatened strikes if they did not get them.
The Rail, Maritime and Transport Union said it was "scandalous" that Mr Grayling was trying to blame workers.
Work to lay new track at Westbury station took place over the festive period
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