United Kingdom: Significant rail disruptions expected Oct. 14-15

Event

Emergency maintenance work is expected to cause significant rail disruptions on Saturday, October 14, and Sunday, October 15, on trains traveling to, or through, the southern cities of London, Newbury, Reading, and Didcot. A bus replacement service has been set up between the Berkshire towns of Theale, Reading, Slough, and Oxfordshire’s Didcot. However, heavy road traffic is expected over the weekend due to reduced rail service.

Furthermore, construction work to electrify the railway through tunnels between Bristol Parkway and Swindon is ongoing, which continues to cause periodic rail disruptions. Trains between Swindon and Newport will be diverted on Saturday and rail services to and from Taunton, Portsmouth Harbour, and London Paddington will terminate at Bristol Parkway over the weekend. Further associated disruptions are expected on October, 21, 22, 28, and 29.

Advice

Travelers in the area are advised to confirm rail timetables and allow for extra time to reach their destinations.