Great Western Railway (GWR) and Network Rail have announced that they are working together to make sure that most train services run this week, although there will be some disruption to the usual schedule of services.

The country is experiencing another heatwave, and GWR operates the routes that take many passengers to holiday destinations in the South West of England.

However, meteorologists expect temperatures to be lower than during June’s heatwave, when the operator altered its timetable.

The two organisations are telling passengers that they “can and should still travel as normal”, but are advising them to carry water and to confirm in advance the details of their particular journey.

However, GWR is planning to make what it describes as “minor changes” during the hottest parts of the day in the Thames Valley area. The operator will change the details of where trains stop on some local stopping services between London and Reading, mainly affecting all-stations services that usually run along the slower relief lines. Changes will affect trains serving Slough, Maidenhead and Twyford.

GWR hopes that by taking this measure, it will reduce the risk of points failing on the route.

In addition, services from London Paddington to Didcot and Newbury will terminate at Reading. Passengers will have to change at Reading to take connecting trains.

Direct trains to Oxford will also be reduced.

GWR is warning passengers that because it is making these changes at short notice, rail industry information systems will not display the correct train timetable in advance of the day of travel. further information is available on GWR’s website.

The operator is advising passengers to check before they travel, allow extra time for their journey, bring water, and if they feel unwell, not to board the train.

“We want to keep our customers safe during this next heat wave, which is why we are taking the precautionary step of amending a small number of services at the hottest times of day. We know this could be disruptive to a few people and we’re sorry for the inconvenience it will cause, but customer safety must come first.

“We’d encourage everyone planning to travel this week to check their journey beforehand.”

GWR and Network Rail Performance Director, Daryn McCombe