15.09.16
Weekend services closed in Wales for mainline electrification work
Services from Cardiff to Bristol will be disrupted this weekend by electrification work on the South Wales Main Line.
The line between Cardiff and Newport will close from 17 September to the early hours of 19 September as Network Rail engineers demolish four bridges.
Beresford Road Bridge in Cardiff and Maesglas Road, Hawse Lane and Green Lane bridges in Newport will all be demolished in order to allow new bridges to be built which can accommodate the equipment for the electrification project.
Karl Gilmore, programme manager at Network Rail, said: “Reconstruction of the bridges is essential as we prepare the South Wales Mainline for electrification. Electrifying the railway will provide a faster, greener more reliable service for the thousands of passengers that use the railway every day.
“We have designed the programme of work to keep disruption to the local community to a minimum. However, at critical milestones during the project this vital work will be noisy, particularly the demolition work taking place this weekend and we would like to thank the community for their patience and understanding while we carry out this essential upgrade work.”
Bridge Street in Newport will also be replaced this weekend, with cranes being used to lift a new deck into position.
Elsewhere, a new section of track and gantry will be installed in the Cardiff Central area as part of the Cardiff Area Signalling Renewal Project.
Great Western Railway services between Swindon and Newport are also being diverted until 21 October because of Severn Tunnel electrification upgrade work, causing delays of up to 35 minutes.
Replacement bus services will operate at some points on the routes between Bristol Parkway and Cardiff, Newport and Severn Tunnel Junction.
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