Those travelling through Bristol this August are being reminded to check before they travel as work continues to replace a major junction near to Bristol Temple Meads which will affect rail services.
After a period of work that saw no direct trains between Bristol Temple Meads and Cardiff or Gloucester (with services calling at Bristol Parkway instead), attention turns to the south-east of the city, impacting services between Bristol Temple Meads and Bath.
From Saturday 7 August, and Monday 9 to Friday 13 August:
* No direct trains between Bristol Temple Meads and London Paddington, Cardiff Central, Gloucester or the South Coast – change at Bristol Parkway or Bath Spa instead
* In addition, Cross Country trains won’t call at Bristol Temple Meads
* Trains between Bath Spa and Filton Abbey Wood won’t call at Bristol Temple Meads
* No trains between Lawrence Hill and Bristol Temple Meads
* Buses replace trains between Bristol Temple Meads and Bath Spa/Bristol Parkway
* Buses also replace trains between Bristol Temple Meads and Severn Beach on Saturday 7 August
Sunday 8 August
* Buses replace all trains to/from Bristol Temple Meads
Saturday 14 to Monday 30 August
* Trains between Bristol Temple Meads and London Paddington will run via Bristol Parkway and won’t call at Bath Spa or Chippenham
* Trains between Bath Spa and Filton Abbey Wood won’t call at Bristol Temple Meads
* Buses replace trains between Bristol Temple Meads and Bath Spa
The work will help to transform Bristol Temple Meads and the railway serving the area – paving the way for more train services to move more people, more reliably.
GWR Regional Development Manager Matt Barnes said: “Regular travellers who have become used to the amended timetable should take note. As work progresses there are some further changes to train times which may alter your usual journey.
“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.
“We will continue to operate trains through Bristol for the vast majority of the period, but there will be some alterations to timetables and journey frequency, so please do check what is best for you if you’re travelling.”
“We would like to apologise for the disruption while we undertake this vital work and thank passengers and local residents for their patience during this time.
Please go online for more details to see how you might be affected. Plan, prepare and check before you travel at www.GWR.com or www.nationalrail.co.uk.
As an alternative, Great Western Railway has agreed ticket acceptance on First West of England buses in the Bristol area on any reasonable route for the duration of this period.
