The Severn Tunnel will be closed again from 18:00 this evening until the end of service. Trains will be subject to diversion, alteration and cancellation.

Road replacement transport will operate between Bristol Parkway and Newport from 18:00 onwards, with customers to/from Bristol Temple Meads connecting at Bristol Parkway.

From 18:00 customers travelling from Paddington/Reading/Swindon to Bristol Parkway should change at Bristol Temple Meads for
connecting trains to Bristol Parkway.

Customers from Bristol Parkway for Swindon/Reading/Paddington should use connecting services and change at Bristol Temple Meads

Road Replacement Transport will also serve Patchway and Severn Tunnel Junction.

Because trains to/from Swansea are not calling at Bristol Parkway are they bypassing Bristol Parkway or are they being diverted via Bristol Temple Meads?

I noted that the 19:35 Transwilts Service - Westbury to Cheltenham via Melksham, Swindon and Kemble - was diverted and ran from Swindon to Bristol Parkway, where it would have reversed before continueing up to Gloucester.  This change was probably to relieve congestion on the single line section from Swindon to Kemble.

Nice to see that problems elsewhere haven't resulted in the TransWilts losing a service. Sensible re-routeing as Stroud and Kemble had additional calls from a South Wales bound HST.

In 1999 the HSE raised concerns about the state of the track in the tunnel.  http://www.gov-news.org/gov/uk/news/severn_tunnel_hse_prohibit_trains_running/46103.html

Because of the tunnel length and evacuation/rescue difficulties etc, this ought to be teh best maintained bit of track onteh whole of the GWML.

It probably is - remember that a "broken rail" can cover a whole range of situations from a slight crack in the rail head to a full break. I'm just guessing but it's possible that a relatively minor flaw was found and these measures put in place to be extra careful given that it's in the tunnel.

Not like America or Canada where on remote freight lines a broken rail is apparently often only discovered when the dispatch (signalling) centre loses the track circuit because the rail's completely broken.

Isn't it slab track in the tunnel?

Updated: rail delays after metal sheet blocks Severn Tunnel

Rail passengers have endured several hours of delays after a large sheet of metal tarpaulin is believed to have been blown into the Severn Tunnel.

A train was already in the tunnel when strong gusts of wind carried the metal to obstruct its path shortly before midday today. The train was eventually guided out of the tunnel by another train.

By 1.30pm, 22 trains had been affected and nine part-cancellations made following the incident.

A spokesman for Network Rail said: ^Around about 11.40 an obstruction was reported in the tunnel. A sheet of tarpaulin blew into the tunnel, apparently it^s quite windy there today.

^Engineers are on site to check if there is any damage to the tunnel. We don^t expect there will be any damage.^

A spokesman for Arriva Trains Wales said their services do not go through Severn Tunnel, although some delays may be expected due to the service recovery of First Great Western trains along the Newport to Carmarthen line.

He added: ^We will allow passengers travelling on First Great Western trains onto our services.^

Disgruntled passengers turned to Twitter with complaints about the delays.

Roger Williams said: ^Severn Tunnel blocked by something. #firstgreatwestern train to Newport terminating at Bristol Parkway. Replacement bus to Newport ...^

Martin Weller wrote: ^Severn tunnel closed, can't say how long it will be. I only want to go to Parkway. Shoulda driven

A First Great Western spokeswoman said: ^The 0933 Exeter to Cardiff service struck a tarpaulin in the Severn Tunnel at approximately 12.00.

"All other services to and from Wales were immediately routed around the tunnel via Gloucester.

"An engineer is in attendance and we are working with Network Rail to get the train on the move again as safely and as quickly as possible.^

A spokeswoman for the rail operator First Great Western said she expected services to be running through the tunnel shortly.

I did get an email earlier today stating that there was a class 143 in the network rail sidings at Severn Tunnel Junction so this may have something to do with it.

Not sure if it was a FGW or ATW class 143 however

It just goes to show how useful the line to Gloucester is, maybe that should be a candidate for electrifcation especially with the number of trains which run via there.

Seems that 6V81 which passed through the Tunnel on tuesday morning had a slightly overloaded wagon towards the rear of the train.

I preume that "slightly overloaded" means "slightly out of gauge"?

Broken down freight train removed from Severn Tunnel

A freight train has been removed after it broke down in the Severn Tunnel, affecting passenger services between south Wales, Bristol and London.

Network Rail said the stranded train was taken away by freight firm DB Schenker at 13:25 BST on Monday.

A total of 26 passenger services were affected by the delay.

The Severn Tunnel rail link joins south Wales and England, and about 200 trains pass through it every day.

Network Rail said all the delayed trains had now travelled through the Severn Tunnel apart from one service which faced a short delay after joining the earlier backlog.

The freight train had broken down around a quarter of a mile from the "portal" of the Severn Tunnel on the English side.

All services between south Wales, Bristol, Taunton and London Paddington were affected.

Passengers intending to catch the 13 30 Cardiff to Portsmouth Hbr could have caught the 13 25 departure (ex Swansea) to Paddington to Bristol Parkway for forward connections to Bristol Temple Meads and beyond if theyhad been aware and FGW had done something about it.   In the past, I have known the xx25 departures from Cardiff to be held until XX30 to convey any xx30 pasdsengers especially if it has turned round at Cardiff.   The more I think about it, the more disgusted I am eith FGWs response to the failure and their Customer Service.

In my opinion  it is a bit unfair to blame the whole affair on FGW when some fault lies with ATW since Newport station is managed by them and the staff are employee's of ATW.

It could be the case that no information was given to the ATW staff by FGW

This message was sent to FGW Website, Journeycheck, National Rail and ATW at 12:06. If operators dont action / check then incorrect info is displayed/given on the ground

UPDATED  3  CORE MSG (CSL2 ACTIVATED)-RED: A broken down train Newport South Wales - Bris...  06/08/12 12:06  
 Owing to a broken down train between Newport South Wales and Bristol Parkway some lines are affected.

Impact:
Train services running through these stations may be cancelled or delayed by up to 45 mins at short notice. An estimate for the resumption of normal services will be provided as soon as the problem has been fully assessed.

Customer Advice:
Due to the failed freight train at the English side of Severn Tunnel the following alterations will take place :-
Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour services will not run between Cardiff Central and Bristol Temple Meads.
Cardiff Central to Taunton services will not run between Cardiff Central and Filton Abbey Wood but will divert to Bristol Parkway upon departure from Filton Abbey Wood to start/terminate.
Paddington to Cardiff Central & Swansea HST services will run throughout in both directions.
Limited road transport will operate where possible.

Do FGW have much staff at Newport Cardiff

Passengers intending to catch the 13 30 Cardiff to Portsmouth Hbr could have caught the 13 25 departure (ex Swansea) to Paddington to Bristol Parkway for forward connections to Bristol Temple Meads and beyond if theyhad been aware and FGW had done something about it.   In the past, I have known the xx25 departures from Cardiff to be held until XX30 to convey any xx30 pasdsengers especially if it has turned round at Cardiff.   The more I think about it, the more disgusted I am eith FGWs response to the failure and their Customer Service.

This problem seems quite common when there is disruption between Cardiff and Bristol.
As a regular passenger on that route, I know that if my train from Bristol Temple Meads to Cardiff is delayed then it is often better for me to get a local service to Bristol Parkway and then a HST from there to Cardiff (and the same in reverse). Most people don't realise that. I will say that at least twice there have been announcements at Bristol Temple Meads advising people to do exactly that. I have never hard any announcements at Cardiff for the reverse.

But FGW failed to update the system.

TRUST.   The CIS showed the train running in Time but it didn't turn up.

TRUST.   The CIS showed the train running in Time but it didn't turn up.

Whosr responsibility would it have been to have shewn the cancellation on the CIS screens ?  The 13 30 Cardiff to Portsmouth was the only train that caused problems by people being stranded unnecessarily.

First Minister Carwyn Jones criticises rail works timing


The Severn Tunnel will be closed to trains in and out of south Wales for the Rugby League World Cup and Womex weekend

The first minister has criticised Network Rail over the closure of the Severn Tunnel during two major events in Cardiff.

The tunnel will close for maintenance work on the same weekend as the opening ceremony for the Rugby League World Cup, and the Womex music festival.

Speaking to BBC's Sunday Politics Wales programme, Carwyn Jones said Network Rail had not consulted the Welsh government over the closure.

Network Rail said it was vital work.

But Mr Jones said: "They've got form on this. It's an important point here - when we've got events in Cardiff, why do maintenance work on the Severn Tunnel when those events are taking place? If there were events taking place every single week in the Millennium Centre, the Millennium Stadium or the [Cardiff] City Stadium, you might say 'okay, there are some weekends when that's inevitable' but for some reason they choose weekends when there are big events taking place in Cardiff."

The Severn Tunnel - which runs under the River Severn on the south Wales-London mainline - will be closed for maintenance on the weekend of 26-27 October - the same weekend as the Rugby League World Cup opening ceremony at the Millennium Stadium and Womex world music festival at the Millennium Centre.

Mr Jones believes the closures will cause travel problems, having a negative impact on the world-wide image of Wales. He said a similar closure in 1999 caused problems for fans travelling to and from the Wales v England rugby international at Wembley Stadium in London.

Mr Jones added that he recognised the need for maintenance and regretted that an alternative rail route was not considered when the second Severn bridge was built.

"The big problem is of course that a rail deck wasn't put on the Severn Bridge in 1993 - other countries would have done that - and we wouldn't have these problems with the Severn Tunnel," said the first minister. "Yes it needs maintenance. It's a very wet tunnel [I know] having been through there in a cab of a 125 [train], but let's do it when there's not a big game on in Cardiff."

In a statement Network Rail told Sunday Politics Wales: "There is never a good time to do work on the Severn Tunnel and we thoroughly investigated the Welsh government's request. In this instance, this six-week works package was planned two years in advance and had already been put back a week to accommodate the one-day cricket match between England and Australia in September. This vital project cannot be put back any further and to cancel it would have a negative impact on services from south Wales to London."

Network Rail added it had assured the organisers of the 2015 Rugby Union World Cup that it would not schedule any disruptive work during the period the tournament was on at the Millennium Stadium.

I have a degree of sympathy with Carwyn Jones on the subject. It's not often that a city gets to host the Opening Ceremony of a World Cup of any description, and it will have been in the diary for over a year.

Travel information for Rugby League World Cup

With just days to go before the Rugby League World Cup First Great Western is advising customers to check before they travel, as Network Rail carry out essential engineering work in the Severn Tunnel.

The railway between Bristol and Newport will be closed on Saturday 26 October and Sunday 27 October for the essential improvement works. Network Rail will be renewing two miles of life-expired track in Severn tunnel and a junction at Patchway, which will significantly improve the reliability of rail services between Bristol and Newport.

Trains from London will be diverted between Swindon and Newport towards Cardiff and journey times will be extended by up to an hour.

Rail replacement bus services will be in operation between Bristol Parkway and Newport.

Services between Bristol and South Wales

Trains between the South West, Soach Coast and Bristol Temple Meads to and from Cardiff Central will start and terminate at Bristol Parkway for bus connections.

Travelling to and from Bristol Parkway

A limited number of services will link London Paddington and Bristol Parkway. Frequent connections are also available from Bristol Temple Meads to Bristol Parkway. From South Wales change at Newport for bus services.

Travelling to and from Patchway and Pilning

Rail replacement bus services will link these stations with Severn Tunnel Junction and Bristol Parkway for onward train connections.

More trains set to stop at Severn Tunnel

Trains now stop at a Monmouthshire train station on Sunday mornings after an action group persuaded a rail company it was worth collecting passengers there.

Passengers will be picked up at Severn Tunnel Junction on its way to Cardiff at 9.08am, 10.08am and 11.11am. Before the changes, no Cardiff-bound trains stopped at Severn Tunnel Junction, Caldicot or Chepstow stations before 11.20am.

First Great Western decided to make the change after meeting last year with representatives from STAG (Severn Tunnel Action Group) and MAGOR (Magor Action Group On Rail), Newport East MP Jessica Morden, and Monmouthshire councillors Bryan Jones and David Dovey. Cllr Jones is the cabinet member for operations, while Cllr Dovey is the chairman of the council^s transport strategy group.

STAG^s chairman, David Flint, said: ^It is something we have tried for for a long, long time and thanks to Jessica Morden, who got involved, and the county councillors we were able to convince First Great Western. It is another pleasing thing in trying to get Severn Tunnel Junction up to the level it deserves.^

According to the Office of Rail Regulation, since 2005-6, passengers^ use of Severn Tunnel Junction grew by 80 per cent.

Newly named 500 seat train to mark re-opening of Seven Tunnel - Y Cymro - The Welshman - to start this Monday
 
Great Western Railway is to launch The Welshman this Monday, one of 59 daily train services between Cardiff and London Paddington, to mark the re-opening of the Severn Tunnel.
 
Taking the number of direct daily services from Cardiff to London Paddington back to 29 a day, the 0728 service from Swansea will be named Y Cymro – The Welshman.
 
It joins three other named week day services between London Paddington and South Wales: The Red Dragon; St David and The Capitals United.
 
Helping to provide over 30,000 seats a day between south Wales and London Paddington, the service will take 2 hours and 07 minutes from Cardiff – just seven minutes more than the minimum check-in time advised by airports.

The service calls at Cardiff at 0825 before making its way towards London for arrival into Paddington at 1032.
 
The tunnel is to re-open on Saturday 22 October, after its six-week closure for Network Rail electrification works.
 
GWR Managing Director Mark Hopwood said: “With a large number of passengers travelling by train between Cardiff and London Paddington, it is clear that rail remains the most convenient way to travel. And this Saturday journeys will be quicker again, taking a little over two hours after the six-week closure of Severn Tunnel; and at the same lead in Advance Single Fare price of just £18.00.
 
“I appreciate how disruptive this work may have been for some and I would like to thank them for your patience during the last six weeks. The vital work will modernise the railway between South Wales and London which, once complete, will enable us to deliver more frequent services, more seats, and to reduce journey times."
 
During the work Network Rail installed overhead lines to power GWR’s new Intercity Express Trains (IETs).
 
The new IETs will begin to enter service on selected routes from next summer, with Network Rail expected to complete electrification of the line between London Paddington to Cardiff by 2019. Once complete South Wales customers will experience quicker journey times, up to 21 minutes between Swansea and London Paddington, and more seats – up to a 25% increase in seats per train compared to existing High Speed Trains.
 
Alongside Y Cymro, The Welshman, there are 58 trains a day operating between Cardiff and London Paddington, each providing over 500 seats.
 
Some 32 train services a day operated during the Severn Tunnel work
 
Advance single tickets are available from £18.00 from Cardiff Central to London Paddington, without the need to pay extra for reservations or for more than one bag.
 
Named trains to/from Wales
 
The Capital United
 
·         0558 Swansea to London Paddington (Monday to Friday)
·         1645 London Paddington to Swansea (Monday to Friday)
 
The Capitals United Operates between London Paddington, Cardiff Central and Swansea. The name was originally used between 1956 and 1963 by British Railways and has been reintroduced by GWR to highlight the continuing importance of the rail link between the capitals of England and Wales
 
The Red Dragon
 
·         0730 Carmarthen to London Paddington (Monday to Friday)
·         1715 London Paddington to Carmarthen (Monday to Friday)
 
The Red Dragon runs between London Paddington and Carmarthen, and is named after the mythical Red Dragon (known in Welsh as Y Ddraig Goch) that appears on the Welsh national flag. Although the flag was only granted official status in 1959, it is claimed to be the oldest national flag still in use, although the origins are now lost in history and myth.
 
The St David
 
·         0745 London Paddington to Swansea (Monday to Friday)
·         1128 Swansea to London Paddington (Monday to Friday)
 
The St David operates between Swansea and London Paddington and is named after the patron saint of Wales (in Welsh, Dewi Sant). St David was born sometime between 462 and 512 and was officially recognised as the patron saint of Wales in 1120.
 

GWR clearly on the offensive to the threat from the air route to/from London City.  Massive problems at the airport this evening though with an evacuation, 26 people needing emergency treatment and two people hospitalised.  GWR accepting paper and electronic boarding passes this evening.

Interesting that they were accepting airline boarding passes on the trains - this and the mention of the flight times in the above press release suggest to me that FGW are more concerned about the LCY flights than I and others on here had previously thought.

the artwork on the side of the HST is essentially identical to the logo of the Welsh Government with a different curl of the tail added.

Is it the intention that the Y Cymro power car(s) will always form the 0728 from Swansea? Doesn't that make it rather restrictive for GWR? They already have the challenge of keeping the green sets together. I'd have thought it must make the maintenance schedule something of a nightmare.

Quicker journeys promised as engineering work set to continue this Easter

Wednesday 10th April 2019
Rail engineering work continues this Easter as Network Rail carries out vital electrification works in the Severn Tunnel.

The work, which when complete will enable passengers to experience the full benefits of new Intercity Express Trains, will also see a new accessible footbridge provided at Patchway Station.

With the railway line closed to train services between Bristol Parkway and Newport, trains will run to an amended timetable from Good Friday, Friday 19, to Easter Monday, Monday 22 April, and bus replacement services provided where trains are unable to operate.

trains between London Paddington and South Wales will terminate at Bristol Parkway and restart from Newport with replacement road transport in between

trains from Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central will terminate at Bristol Parkway instead; trains from Taunton to Cardiff Central will terminate at Bristol Temple Meads

replacement buses and coaches will operate between Bristol Parkway and Newport, with some calling additionally at Patchway and Severn Tunnel Junction

Further work is planned in the Severn tunnel on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 April, when trains between London Paddington and South Wales will be diverted via an alternate route.

Replacement road transport will still operate between Bristol Parkway and Newport, with some buses calling additionally at Patchway and Severn Tunnel Junction