Network Rail is urge passengers to check routes before travelling to Cardiff for Wales v Japan
Fans in Cardiff in the rain(Image: Richard Swingler)
Rugby fans travelling to Cardiff this weekend are being warned of major disruption after Storm Claudia forced the closure of the rail route between Hereford and Newport. Heavy rain, strong winds and widespread disruption across Wales have led to the suspension of all services on the line for the remainder of Friday evening, with disruption expected to last throughout Saturday.
Limited rail replacement services will operate where possible between Hereford, Shrewsbury and Newport. While these services are intended to support travel to and from the rugby, they will run with limited capacity and Transport for Wales says it is unable to guarantee return journeys.
Consequently, passengers are being urged to consider alternative travel options. For the biggest stories in Wales first, sign up to our daily newsletter here
Network Rail has also closed the section of the Marches Line following advice from Natural Resources Wales. This was due to several sites seeing varying scales of flooding, with water levels not expected to fall until Saturday afternoon.
Passengers with valid tickets can travel at no extra cost with Avanti, CrossCountry and Great Western Railway, and tickets for today and tomorrow can be used for travel on Monday, November 17. For everything you need to know about travel and times, for tomorrow’s International match, click here.
Nick Millington, Network Rail’s Western route director, said: “We’re doing everything we can to mitigate the impact of Storm Claudia to the railway, including placing extra staff at key locations across the network, who will be ready to respond if they’re required.
“We ask passengers to check before travelling on Friday and into the weekend, particularly if they are visiting Cardiff Principality Stadium for the rugby, to take extra care and allow plenty of time to complete their journeys.”
Horrendous driving conditions on the M4 on Friday evening
Marie Daly, chief operations officer for Transport for Wales, added: “The safety of our customers and our colleagues is our absolute priority.
“While the rain is predicted to ease on Saturday, we will still be dealing with the impact on Friday’s storm and high water levels may mean that it’s not possible to run services safely. Customers should continue to check before they travel all weekend.”
Network Rail and Transport for Wales teams are working across the route to manage the impact of Storm Claudia, including carrying out flood inspections, monitoring river levels, responding to fallen trees and debris and running replacement bus services where possible.
They warn that there are likely to be some short notice amendments to services.