Bristol Temple Meads closed over Easter

Travellers already anticipating the traditional bank holiday journey joy will also need to factor in the closure of Bristol Temple Meads over Easter.

The city centre station will be completely out of bounds from Friday, March 30 to Tuesday, April 3 (inclusive) for a £130m signalling upgrade – the biggest ever undertaken – and one that Network Rail say will transform train trips to and from the region.

It forms part of the company’s railway upgrade plan, which will also include doubling the number of tracks into Temple Meads later this year and the introduction of more trains as part of GWR’s “biggest fleet upgrade for a generation”.

The upgrading work will see the number of tracks into Temple Meads doubled

But in the immediate future, it means the dreaded rail replacement service.

Buses will replace trains between Bristol Temple Meads, Patchway, Bristol Parkway, Bath Spa, Weston-super-Mare, and on the Severn Beach line.

Only long distance services between London Paddington and South Wales will run as normal.

The majority of trains will stop at either Bath Spa, Bristol Parkway or Weston-super-Mare and passengers will have to use replacement buses to get to Bristol Temple Meads, or other stations, to continue their journeys.

Passengers are advised to check before travelling, and allow more time than usual to complete their journeys.

James Durie has said the closure is ‘short term pain for long term gain’

Supporting the work, James Durie, chief executive of Business West said: “Let’s face it there is never a good time to shut a railway station that carries around 12 million passenger journeys a year.

“But, before the hand wringing commences, it’s worth noting that the closure is happening for a very valid reason. A bit of short-term pain for long-term gain.”

He said it is a good excuse for people to stay in Bristol and “fall in love with the city again”.

The upgrade will mean more trains can come and go from Bristol Temple Meads

Mike Gallop, the route asset management director for Network Rail said:

“We are working hard to improve services in the Bristol area which in turn help support economic growth in the city and the South West”.

In reward for the inconvenience, passengers are being promised brand new Intercity Express trains, featuring more spacious carriages, improved accessibility and up to 24 per cent more seats than the older high speed trains.

Journey times between Bristol and London are expected to be reduced by up to 17 minutes.

GWR operations director Rob Mullen said: “This work is vital for GWR to be able to continue to deliver the full benefits that our new Intercity Express Train fleet is bringing, including seven trains an hour between London and Bristol, and quicker journey times – further supporting Bristol and its economy”.

The historic station is also due to have a £40m roof refurbishment if plans get approved later this year – if it goes ahead, it will take approximately two years to complete and will be there first time it has been done since 1989.

For more information visit www.networkrail.co.uk/bristol-upgrades, or follow #SignalBristol on Twitter.

A breakdown of how some journeys will be affected can be found by visiting www.nationalrail.co.uk/Easter and by following #EasterBHWorks on Twitter.

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