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Severn tunnel diversions in September via Glos

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paulfoel

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I travel daily between Newport and Glos. Not sure if this is going to be better or worse for this short time.

I understand Bristol will be bus replacement but trains for Swindon onwards will run via Glos. So, I guess this will be more trains. BUT will they stop at Glos additionally or go straight throught to Swindon?
 
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Captain Chaos

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Not sure but during the recent diversions nearly all of then stopped at Gloucester I believe.
 

alb1

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Yes, I did Swindon to Swansea on the bank holiday Monday and we did stop at Gloucester.

Given that I wasn't in a hurry I thought it was a lovely diversion and thoroughly enjoyed seeing a bit more of the country.
 

greaterwest

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Indeed as far as I am aware, almost all diversions stop at Gloucester.
 

ValleyLines142

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As others have said, it'll be actually be better for you as you can get the Paddington train, in addition to the Cheltenham and Nottingham services.

As for me, who regularly commutes between Cardiff and Bristol, I'm either going to have to stick with the rail replacement coaches (which really are a nightmare), or instead use the X7 bus.
 

paulfoel

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As others have said, it'll be actually be better for you as you can get the Paddington train, in addition to the Cheltenham and Nottingham services.

As for me, who regularly commutes between Cardiff and Bristol, I'm either going to have to stick with the rail replacement coaches (which really are a nightmare), or instead use the X7 bus.

Yep. Pretty good service to Gloucester anyway between ATW and CC theres pretty much one every 30 mins. The ATW one can be a bit slower with additional stops.

I tend to catch the CC most of the time - trains are a bit nicer as well. And AC (in theory!).

Be good to have the extra London train too. Assuming it wont stop at Chepstow or Lydney it could be a very quick journey (< 35mins).

Dont fancy the bus replacement to Bristol..... Never a fan of those.

Got stuck on the last train to Ebbw Vale from Cardiff the other week. Bus replacement. No toilets of course. Not clever on the last train when 90% of the passengers were going home from a night out in Cardiff.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Yes, I did Swindon to Swansea on the bank holiday Monday and we did stop at Gloucester.

Given that I wasn't in a hurry I thought it was a lovely diversion and thoroughly enjoyed seeing a bit more of the country.

Severn Valley line is nice. After 18 months of every day though I've seen it enough!
 

paulfoel

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So is the Severn estuary;)

If there's a river running through it, its a valley in wales! :)
Although I always tell work colleagues that the valleys they claim to have in Gloucestershire are pretty poor.

And also when does a valley become an estuary?
 

D1009

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If there's a river running through it, its a valley in wales! :)
Although I always tell work colleagues that the valleys they claim to have in Gloucestershire are pretty poor.

And also when does a valley become an estuary?
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/estuary?s=t

noun, plural estuaries.
1.
that part of the mouth or lower course of a river in which the river's current meets the sea's tide.
2.
an arm or inlet of the sea at the lower end of a river.

Also I thought the Severn Valley line was somewhere entirely different.
 

paulfoel

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http://www.dictionary.com/browse/estuary?s=t

noun, plural estuaries.
1.
that part of the mouth or lower course of a river in which the river's current meets the sea's tide.
2.
an arm or inlet of the sea at the lower end of a river.

Also I thought the Severn Valley line was somewhere entirely different.

Ha ha I stand corrected.... :)
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
The diversions are in the eNRT and generally run non stop from Newport to Swindon and v.v.

So no Gloucester stop? :(

I guess it just adds a few more minutes to an already delayed journey for people travelling east.
 

G136GREYHOUND

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Why the heck didn't they Govt insist that when the French were allowed to build their rip off toll bridge that as part of the deal to fleece the local economy and population, that they also had to build a parallel or underslung RAIL bridge ???
 

louis97

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Ha ha I stand corrected.... :)
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---


So no Gloucester stop? :(

I guess it just adds a few more minutes to an already delayed journey for people travelling east.

Gloucester stops are less common now the line between Kemble and Swindon is double track - normal service can run in addition to the diversions.
 

Harbornite

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Severn Valley line is nice. After 18 months of every day though I've seen it enough!

I know this has been mentioned before and it's me being pedantic, but the Severn valley line usually refers to the the old line from Hartlebury/Kidderminster to Shrewsbury. Either way, it's the same river!
 

EbbwJunction1

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These are extracts from the GWR website pages dealing with the closure of the Severn Tunnel:

Severn Tunnel Modernisation - September/ October 2016

September/ October 2016

From Monday 12 September to Friday 21 October 2016, the Severn Tunnel will be closed. This means no trains will run between Patchway and the Severn Tunnel Junction; with London services diverted and replacement buses between Newport and Bristol Parkway.

Weekdays

Between London Paddington and South Wales

High Speed services from London Paddington to South Wales will be diverted between Swindon and Newport; increasing journey times by approximately 30 minutes. Trains will still run between London Paddington and Bristol Parkway.

Between Cardiff Central and Portsmouth Harbour

Trains will run between Bristol Parkway and Portsmouth Harbour

Between Cardiff Central and Taunton

Trains will run between Bristol Parkway and Taunton.

Replacement buses

Replacement buses will run between Severn Tunnel Junction and Bristol Parkway, and between Bristol Parkway and Newport.

Any additional routes will be confirmed nearer to the time.

Weekends

17 to 18 September and 15 to 16 October

The railway from Bristol Parkway through to Cardiff Central will be closed and replacement buses will be in operation between these stations.

Trains will run normally between London Paddington and Bristol Parkway; with a shuttle train service operating between Cardiff Central and Swansea.

24 to 25 September, 1 to 2 October and 8 to 9 October

In addition to the Severn Tunnel closure, trains won’t run between Swindon and Bristol Parkway. This won’t affect South Wales services as they are being diverted away from this section. Replacement buses will run between Swindon and Bristol Parkway.

Further works affecting services into South Wales

3 to 4 and 10 to 11 September

Trains will be diverted between Cardiff Central and Bridgend increasing journey times by approximately 30 minutes.

Sunday 11 September

The railway between Bath Spa and Westbury will be closed. Trains between Cardiff Central and Portsmouth Harbour will be diverted via Swindon; increasing journey times by approximately 35 minutes. Replacement buses will be available between Westbury and Bath Spa.

22 to 23 and 29 to 30 October; 5 to 6 and 12 to 13 November

The railway between Didcot Parkway and Swindon will be closed all weekend (extending to Bristol Parkway on Sundays). Trains to South Wales will be diverted increasing journey times by approximately 45 minutes.

Revised timetables

The best way to find details of train times and replacement services is to use our online journey planner.

Or, if you prefer you can download our PDF timetables:
London to South Wales
Cardiff to the South Coast

Here's a link to this page: https://www.gwr.com/travel-updates/planned-engineering/severn-tunnel

On a quick check over a period of about four or five hours between London and Cardiff, it looks as if the diverted trains will not call at Gloucester.
 

Envoy

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It looks like massive travel delays will occur - especially with the M4 being often jammed at Newport due to the choke point at the 2 lane tunnel. The sooner they get on and start building the 3 lane each way black route south of Newport the better. (Most Labour and Conservative Welsh Assembly members favour the ‘Black Route’. Plaid Cymru, UKIP and the sole Liberal Democrat - Kirsty Williams - are against it and favour ‘cheapskate’ solutions
such as improving the Southern Distributor road to create a continuous 2 lane each way highway. It will never work as that is the problem now - only 2 lanes at the tunnel).

Flybe are operating flights between Cardiff & London City Airport during the rail closure.
http://www.flybe.com/timetableClassic/timetable.jsp?selDep=CWL&selDest=LCY

You could not make this up BUT the Welsh Government have authorised major work at the Brynglass (Newport) tunnels starring in June 2016 & lasting for 20 months. Although this will mainly take place at night, you would have thought that everything possible would have been done to ensure that the M4 is clear drink the Severn Tunnel closure.

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/business/business-news/m4-motorists-face-disruption-20-11450620

QUOTE:> 'One of the UK's busiest motorways the M4 will see a key section closed at night as maintenance work is carried out on the Brynglas Tunnels at Newport for 20 months.

The Welsh Government has confirmed that the necessary work on the two-lane tunnels, which are often the cause of congestion on the key transport route into South Wales, particularly at rush hour, will start on Monday, June 20th'. QUOTE END.
 
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PHILIPE

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UKIP not in favour, only Neil Hamilton himself. His statement was contradicted by other members
 

paulfoel

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6 Jan 2014
Messages
152
These are extracts from the GWR website pages dealing with the closure of the Severn Tunnel:

Severn Tunnel Modernisation - September/ October 2016

September/ October 2016

From Monday 12 September to Friday 21 October 2016, the Severn Tunnel will be closed. This means no trains will run between Patchway and the Severn Tunnel Junction; with London services diverted and replacement buses between Newport and Bristol Parkway.

Weekdays

Between London Paddington and South Wales

High Speed services from London Paddington to South Wales will be diverted between Swindon and Newport; increasing journey times by approximately 30 minutes. Trains will still run between London Paddington and Bristol Parkway.

Between Cardiff Central and Portsmouth Harbour

Trains will run between Bristol Parkway and Portsmouth Harbour

Between Cardiff Central and Taunton

Trains will run between Bristol Parkway and Taunton.

Replacement buses

Replacement buses will run between Severn Tunnel Junction and Bristol Parkway, and between Bristol Parkway and Newport.

Any additional routes will be confirmed nearer to the time.

Weekends

17 to 18 September and 15 to 16 October

The railway from Bristol Parkway through to Cardiff Central will be closed and replacement buses will be in operation between these stations.

Trains will run normally between London Paddington and Bristol Parkway; with a shuttle train service operating between Cardiff Central and Swansea.

24 to 25 September, 1 to 2 October and 8 to 9 October

In addition to the Severn Tunnel closure, trains won’t run between Swindon and Bristol Parkway. This won’t affect South Wales services as they are being diverted away from this section. Replacement buses will run between Swindon and Bristol Parkway.

Further works affecting services into South Wales

3 to 4 and 10 to 11 September

Trains will be diverted between Cardiff Central and Bridgend increasing journey times by approximately 30 minutes.

Sunday 11 September

The railway between Bath Spa and Westbury will be closed. Trains between Cardiff Central and Portsmouth Harbour will be diverted via Swindon; increasing journey times by approximately 35 minutes. Replacement buses will be available between Westbury and Bath Spa.

22 to 23 and 29 to 30 October; 5 to 6 and 12 to 13 November

The railway between Didcot Parkway and Swindon will be closed all weekend (extending to Bristol Parkway on Sundays). Trains to South Wales will be diverted increasing journey times by approximately 45 minutes.

Revised timetables

The best way to find details of train times and replacement services is to use our online journey planner.

Or, if you prefer you can download our PDF timetables:
London to South Wales
Cardiff to the South Coast

Here's a link to this page: https://www.gwr.com/travel-updates/planned-engineering/severn-tunnel

On a quick check over a period of about four or five hours between London and Cardiff, it looks as if the diverted trains will not call at Gloucester.

Pity. There goes my dream of a fast train for a few weeks at least :(
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
It looks like massive travel delays will occur - especially with the M4 being often jammed at Newport due to the choke point at the 2 lane tunnel. The sooner they get on and start building the 3 lane each way black route south of Newport the better. (Most Labour and Conservative Welsh Assembly members favour the ‘Black Route’. Plaid Cymru, UKIP and the sole Liberal Democrat - Kirsty Williams - are against it and favour ‘cheapskate’ solutions
such as improving the Southern Distributor road to create a continuous 2 lane each way highway. It will never work as that is the problem now - only 2 lanes at the tunnel).

Flybe are operating flights between Cardiff & London City Airport during the rail closure.
http://www.flybe.com/timetableClassic/timetable.jsp?selDep=CWL&selDest=LCY

You could not make this up BUT the Welsh Government have authorised major work at the Brynglass (Newport) tunnels starring in June 2016 & lasting for 20 months. Although this will mainly take place at night, you would have thought that everything possible would have been done to ensure that the M4 is clear drink the Severn Tunnel closure.

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/business/business-news/m4-motorists-face-disruption-20-11450620

QUOTE:> 'One of the UK's busiest motorways the M4 will see a key section closed at night as maintenance work is carried out on the Brynglas Tunnels at Newport for 20 months.

The Welsh Government has confirmed that the necessary work on the two-lane tunnels, which are often the cause of congestion on the key transport route into South Wales, particularly at rush hour, will start on Monday, June 20th'. QUOTE END.

Yes I think there will a big problem on the roads during this time. As you said the BrynGlas tunnels are always a big problem.
 
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