Network Rail said the railway will be closed
Annette Belcher Digital Publishing Editor
06:00, 21 Jun 2025
The train service is disrupted (Image: PA)
Train passengers have been warned they could face disruption and delays next month when track work starts.
Network Rail begins the latest stage of work on the railway through Gloucestershire and people planning to travel between Bristol Parkway and Swindon are being urged to plan their journeys ahead of time.
From Monday, July 7 to Sunday, July 13, work will take place ‘around the clock’ in and around Chipping Sodbury tunnel.
The work is to reduce the impact of flooding and will see 200m of track raised by 20cm at the western end of the tunnel.
Overhead electric wires will also be adjusted accordingly. Drainage channels through the tunnel will also be dredged to allow more water to be collected.
During this time, the railway will be closed between Swindon and Bristol Parkway, meaning trains will divert via Chippenham and Bath and will take longer than usual.
Additional peak-time trains will run between London Paddington and Swindon.
Follow-up work also means services between London and South Wales will be diverted and take longer than usual on Sunday, July 20.
Network Rail project manager George Barratt said: “It’s important passengers check their journeys in advance whilst we undertake this vital work to mitigate the impacts of flooding on the railway, as trains between Swindon and Bristol Parkway will take longer than usual, and there will be fewer services operating between south Wales and London.
“As part of our ongoing scheme to alleviate the impacts of flooding in the area, this work will help improve reliability and make the railway more resilient.”
Great Western Railway station manager for Bristol Parkway, Marcus Deegan, added: “This work forms part of an ongoing programme of investment, helping to ensure we can continue to provide consistent and reliable services.
“To maintain rail connections to and from South Wales, some of our trains will use a different route from normal, making journeys longer. Unfortunately, this also means the frequency of services between London and South Wales will also have to be reduced from half-hourly to hourly. But we will provide additional trains between London Paddington and Swindon at peak periods Monday to Friday.”
The work is the latest in a wider scheme to ease the effect of flooding on the railway and in the surrounding area. Network Rail are working alongside the Environment Agency, South Gloucestershire Council, the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group and Wessex Water to find long-term solutions.