Passengers are being urged to check before they travel between South Wales and Shropshire on three weekends in September when Network Rail will be carrying out essential engineering work.
All lines will be closed and buses will replace trains between Newport and Shrewsbury on Saturday and Sunday: 7-8 September, 14-15 September and 21-22 September.
Among a raft of improvement works, Network Rail engineers will reach an important milestone in the project to build a new fully accessible footbridge and lifts at Abergavenny station, installing the new span, stairs, glazing, scaffolding and lift shafts over the three weekends. The bridge is due to be completed in early 2025.
So that the work can be safely completed, the station car park will be closed from Friday 30 August to Monday 23 September. The nearby overflow car park, however, will remain open for passengers. Motorists are asked to avoid parking in local streets to keep everyone safe and avoid congestion.
Over the three weekends, Network Rail teams will also be:
- Renewing nearly 500 metres of track near the River Usk viaduct, south of Abergavenny, and more than 700m of track south of Hereford station.
- Refurbishing switches and crossings – moveable sections of track that guide trains from one track to another and allow them to cross paths – near Pontrilas, between Abergavenny and Hereford stations. Similar refurbishments will be carried out south of Hereford station and at Abergavenny.
- Renewing points – the mechanical systems that move the switches and crossings – and signalling testing at Shelwick Junction, north of Hereford.
- Working on three level crossing renewals in Herefordshire at Tram Inn, Leominster and Bucknell.
The engineering work will not affect services into Cardiff on Friday, 6 September ahead of the Wales v Turkey Nations League International at Cardiff City Stadium and immediately after the match. Passengers planning to stay overnight are reminded that a rail replacement service will be running between Newport and Shrewsbury on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 September.
Nick Millington, Network Rail Wales and Borders route director, said: “We recognise there is never a good time to close the railway but we have planned the work to minimise disruption as much as possible.
“Among other essential work, these closures of the line over three weekends in September will allow us to make significant progress on the accessible footbridge at Abergavenny, which will provide access for all rail users for generations to come.
“I would like to thank passengers for their patience and urge them to check their journeys before travelling.”
Sarah Higgins, operations director for Transport for Wales, commented: “This work is a much-needed investment by our partners in Network Rail to ensure customers with reduced mobility can access our services at Abergavenny, alongside making the rail infrastructure safe for years to come.
“While there is never an ideal time to carry out engineering work, the fact that this combination of work can be delivered at the same time means less overall disruption for customers.
“A comprehensive road transport plan will be in place, but customers should allow journeys to take longer than usual, and we strongly advise you to check journey details before you travel.”
Image credit: Network Rail
