Network Rail is urging people to check before travelling ahead of modernisation work which is taking place between Cardiff and Newport this February.

The work is part of Network Rail‘s Railway Upgrade Plan for Wales. It will allow Great Western Railway’s new Intercity Express Trains to run from Cardiff and London on electricity. Which will improve journeys for passengers.

Services between Cardiff and Newport will be reduced by an average of 2 trains an hour from 12th February until 25th February 2018.

Rail Replacement Buses will be operating for all services between Cardiff Central and Newport on the 17th/18th and 25th February 2018.

Cardiff residents are also reminded that Splott Road Bridge will be closed from 4–27 February.

The original bridge, which connects Splott to Adamsdown, is too low to fit the overhead line equipment needed for trains running on electricity. At 117 years old, the bridge has also reached the end of its lifespan.

What did the officials say?

Steve Keighley, the programme manager for Network Rail in Wales and Borders, said: “The new Intercity Express Trains, which run on both electric and diesel, will provide extra seats and better onboard facilities for thousands of passengers. We are working closely with our partners at Arriva Trains Wales and Great Western Railway to make sure people can still get where they need to be with a bus replacement service in operation during this essential upgrade work. We would like to thank passengers and residents for their patience during this improvement work and urge people to check before travelling.”

Bethan Jelfs, customer services director for Arriva Trains Wales said: “Investing in our infrastructure here in south Wales is vital to the long-term future of our railway. We have been working closely with our partners in Network Rail to ensure as few passenger journeys as possible were affected by this. The work at Splott Road Bridge will mean some service changes between Cardiff and Newport and we would urge all our customers to check their journeys ahead of travelling.”

GWR development manager Wales, Mark Young man said: “New Intercity Express Trains have been operating between South Wales and London Paddington, since last October, providing as much as 24% more seats than the trains they have replaced. The electrification of the line between Cardiff and London will allow us to deliver the full benefit of these new trains, with more frequent, and quicker, journeys.”

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