Railways and pharmacies at Easter

A quick reminder that Network Rail will be upgrading the railway around Bristol over Easter. Work starts today, Good Friday 30 March, and train services will resume on Wednesday 4 April.

Full details including replacement services are on their dedicated web page www.gwr.com/travel-updates/planned-engineering/bristol2018

The upgrade work on the signalling system will mean they can reduce delays caused by congestion, and introduce a new timetable in January 2019 with faster, more frequent services, adding more seats and more capacity to this very busy part of the railway.

Meanwhile, if you find yourself in need of a pharmacy over the Bank Holiday weekend, you can find which ones are open here.

Enjoy the Easter weekend!

Planning to travel by train at Easter?

Network Rail have warned us that they will be carrying out their largest ever resignalling project this Easter, from Friday 30 March to Tuesday 3 April, in and around Bristol Temple Meads. The aim is to improve reliability and increase capacity to meet growing demand. No trains will run to, through or from Bristol Temple Meads during this time.

While this is bad news for those planning to travel over Easter, they promise that in the long run it will mean fewer delays and faster journey times, and enable an increase in trains from 2019. Passengers will benefit from almost twice as many trains between Bristol and London Paddington from 2019.

You can find out more on the Network Rail website.

Early warning of train delays

On Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 September Network Rail will be testing the overhead wires in the Reading area, which will have an impact on all Thames Valley and High Speed Services. What that means for people travelling from our area is that services will operate hourly from Bristol Temple Meads and London Paddington with amended calling patterns and some extended journey times.  You can find out more at https://www.gwr.com/travel-updates/planned-engineering/reading2017

Railway modernisation - Great Western main line

GWR have told us that work to widen the platforms at Bath Spa has now been successfully completed and Network Rail have moved on to work on the track around Swindon and Chippenham.  This will affect rail services through Didcot Parkway, Swindon, Chippenham and Bristol Parkway over the late May bank holiday (27-29 May) and the weekend of 10 and 11 June.  Full details of the revised arrangements are on their dedicated web page www.gwr.com/Swindon2017

There will then be further work at Chippenham from Saturday 8 July through to Sunday 16 July.  Services between London and Bristol Temple Meads will be diverted and there will be a reduced service for Swindon and Bath Spa during this period.  More details are on www.gwr.com/Chippenham2017 where they also set out arrangements for weekend replacement services to Westbury and Melksham.

There will be additional staff at stations to help customers and they are using both traditional and social media, as well as information at stations and at ticket sales points, to highlight the changes. 

GWR say: "We want the electrification upgrade to be as painless as possible, of course we recognise that any timetables changes, however temporary, cause some inconvenience, but these works will allow us to put brand new ten car trains on this route in 2017, and the work has to be completed while we continue to run services"

Drop-in on electrification

If you regularly travel via Bristol Parkway, you may be interested in a drop-in on rail electrification that Network Rail are holding from 4.30pm to 7.30pm on Tuesday 14th March. The event will be held in The Old School Rooms, The Green, Stoke Gifford, BS34 8PD.

Their upcoming work includes:

• Stabilising the embankment next to the Filton line
• Setting up a compound off Hunts Ground Road
• Repairs to Bristol Road/Hatchet Road bridge

There will be a team on hand to answer your questions.

Christmas rail disruption

From Saturday 24th December until Thursday 29th December London Paddington will be closed to all rail services.

This will mean that GWR rail services will start and finish at Ealing Broadway, from where you can take the underground or a bus. However, the station does not have step-free access. So if you are travelling with heavy luggage or find steps difficult for any reason you will need to change at Reading and use services from there to London Waterloo. Unfortunately that will mean a longer journey.

You can find out more on the GWR website.

Reminder - Severn Tunnel to close on Monday

The Severn Tunnel will be closed between Monday 12 September and Friday 21 October but Great Western Railway are keen to reassure you that their services will still be running  - with trains being diverted or replaced by buses.

Alternative timetables will operate throughout the work, with journeys to London taking about 35 minutes longer and Bristol 45 minutes longer. This is essential work towards bringing electrification through to Cardiff and Swansea.

Full details of the changes are on their website.

Bank Holiday rail disruption

Network Rail is carrying out further work in South Wales and the South West this August Bank Holiday weekend, to install new signalling as part of their Railway Upgrade Plan.

The work will take place from 27th to 29th August and will require a temporary closure of the lines in both directions between Bristol Parkway and Swindon, Newport, Bristol Temple Meads, Gloucester and Severn Beach. Trains will be diverted and in some cases replaced by buses. More information is available here.

Coming to a railway viaduct near you?

As part of electrification, Network Rail not only have to cut back vegetation along the track, 6 metres back either side of the line, but they will also be installing overhead gantries around every 50 metres to carry the wires. Would you want gantries like the ones pictured above on our iconic viaducts, dominating our local landscape? Your Focus Team is pushing for less obtrusive designs to be used - let us know if you agree.

Work on Halfpenny Bridge, Ram Hill

As part of the electrification works, Network Rail are extending the parapets on Halfpenny Bridge, Ram Hill to 1.85m to prevent access to the new electric power cables when they are installed. As the bridge is narrow, they will have to close the footpath to the general public while works are being undertaken, but most of the works will happen at night. Pedestrians and cyclists will be able to cross the bridge as normal when no works are being undertaken.

Work will take place between 22.00hrs and 08.00hrs on the following dates:

Weekend nights in April - 9th, 16th, 23rd
Midweek nights in April - 25th, 26th, 27th, 28th
Weekend nights in May - 7th, 14th, 21st, 22nd

They will do everything possible to minimise the impact on neighbours. For more information contact Toby Elliott, Public Affairs Manager at toby.elliott@networkrail.co.uk or 07734 648 408 or Claire McGine, Communications Manager at claire.mcgine@networkrail.co.uk or 07734 647 240.

Rail disruption over late May Bank Holiday

From Saturday 28th to Monday 30th May (the late May Bank Holiday weekend) Network Rail will be closing the lines between Bristol Temple Meads, Bristol Parkway and Severn Tunnel Junction and Gloucester. They are doing this so that they can upgrade the signalling in the area, to enable them to run more trains north of Bristol in the future. Trains from Yate will be replaced with buses in both directions.

For more information, see GWR.com/Filton2016.

Disruption for rail users

Local rail passengers face disruption in the autumn, as the Severn Tunnel will be closed for electrification work.

The tunnel will be closed from 12 September until 21 October. Rail services between South Wales, Bristol Parkway and London and also between South Wales, Patchway and Bristol Temple Meads and beyond will be diverted or curtailed for the duration. There is more information on GWR's website.

Station for Coalpit Heath or Winterbourne?

FOSBR map showing possible new stations

FOSBR, the Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways, is a group that campaigns for rail improvements. They have been consulting local people and have put forward a rail map showing possible new stations, including Coalpit Heath and Winterbourne. They are proposing to submit the map as their comment on the draft Joint Transport Plan.

Do you see Coalpit Heath or Winterbourne having the potential for a new station? If one of them does, our area could be one with potential for “transport-focused development”. That’s one of the scenarios suggested in the Joint Spatial Plan consultation to identify land for an additional 29,000 homes in the next 30 years.

It’s important you have your say. FOSBR have a survey to give them your views. You can also attend their AGM on Friday 29th January 6pm-9.30pm at Halo Café, 141 Gloucester Road.

Let's Get Yate Moving!

Local MP Steve Webb and Lib Dem Focus Team councillors have launched a campaign to improve public transport in and around Yate.

The campaign comes as thousands more houses are set to be built in and around Yate over the coming years, on top of hundreds already built in the last few years.   Campaigners are calling on South Gloucestershire Council to plan ahead for the new housing and make sure that there are proper public transport options for new and existing residents.

In particular, the Lib Dem team are calling for:

• A Park and Ride for Yate and the surrounding area, next to the Council offices at Badminton Road;
• For the Yate-Bristol rail route to be included in the electrification project for the Great Western mainline;
• For improved bus services in residential areas, especially for North and South Yate and Dodington, not just services from Yate town centre.

Go to http://letsgetyatemoving-ldthornburyandyate.nationbuilder.com  to back the campaign and share your experiences and ideas about local transport.

Victory on Yate train overcrowding

We're happy to announce the end of the long fight to get extra train carriages from Yate. From December the 7.40 and 8.09, and the return journeys from Temple Meads at 14.41, 15.41, 16.41 and 17.10 will each have an extra carriage. First Great Western told us this good news at the Friends of Yate Station meeting on Monday.

Also for those affected by the complete failure of the commuter train service to Bristol on the morning of Monday 26th, Nigel at the station has forms for users to obtain refunds, or you can claim via the passenger charter.

Reading Station closed over Christmas

Reading Station will be closed for redevelopment between December 27, 2010 and January 2, 2011.You can find out more on the First Great Western website.

Campaigners celebrate extra rush-hour train from Yate

Claire Young, Wully Perks (Vice-Chair) and Sue Walker (Chair) of Friends of Yate Station and Steve Webb MP at Yate Station


Following pressure from local MP Steve Webb and the Friends of Yate Station, First Great Western have agreed to put on an extra morning commuter train from Yate in the new timetable to be introduced in May.

Late last year, the MP held a meeting at his Yate office with First Great WesternChief Executive Mark Hopwood to register his complaint about overcrowding on rush-hour trains between Yate and Bristol. The company considered these concerns and has now announced that from May there will be an additional train leaving Yate at 0712, calling at Filton Abbey Wood, Bristol Parkway and Bristol Temple Meads before going on to Westbury. This is a train thatwas previously running empty through the station, starting in Cheltenham Spa and only beginning to pick up passengers at Bristol Parkway.

Commenting on his web site, Steve Webb said:"An extra morning train from Yate to Abbey Wood and Bristol is a big step forward. For passengers who have had enough of overcrowding on the later trains, this will provide an additional option of a less crowded earlier train. For workers with some flexibility on working hours it may mean that they can then travel back home slightly earlier, and thereby avoid the peak rush-hour trains out of Bristol in the evening. Coming on top of the additional carriage that we have secured for the 0815 service, this is another sign that where we campaign effectively we can get things improved".

In addition to the new 0712 service, there is an improvement in service for those travelling to Swindon, with the 0740 service now going on from Bristolto Swindon without the need for changing trains.

New station for Charfield?

Would you like to see a railway station at Charfield? Or does the prospect cause your concern? Whatever your views, please share them with your local Focus Team at this website.

Local rail consultation

Local people have until 27th November to comment on the future of rail services in the area. Network Rail have published a draft "Route Utilisation Strategy" for Great Western services, including mainline services through Bristol and local services such as those from Yate.

The document suggests that there could be an hourly service between Yate and Weston-super-Mare and also an hourly service from Portishead to Gloucester, stopping at Yate. If these proposals came into force there would then be two trains an hour between Yate and Bristol, although investment of more than £2 million would be required at Yate station to enable trains to turn round. The strategy says that this would only be feasible with 'third party investment', which means the local authority and/or developers putting in significant funding.

Urging people to have their say, local MP Steve Webb said, "This vision for rail services in the West over the coming decade offers real potential for improvements for hard-pressed commuters. A regular twice-hourly service between Yate and Bristol would help to improve the quality of service, though we would need assurances that those trains had enough carriages to cope with peak levels of demand. But this document is only a draft and we therefore need to be sure that these improvements are retained in the final version, due to be published in the New Year. I would therefore encourage anyone who cares about local rail services to register their support for investment at Yate by responding to the consultation".

Those wishing to comment can e-mail greatwesternrus@networkrail.co.uk or write to 'Great Western RUS Consultation Response, Network Rail, Floor 4, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9AG.

New parking charges at local stations

On Sunday, huge increases in car parking charges were introduced by First Great Western. The daily charge for parking at Bristol Parkway has gone up by more than a third from £5 per day to £6.90, whilst the charge at Yate has more than doubled from £1 to £2.10. Train companies are looking for new sources of revenue because the current low level of inflation means that they are not allowed to increase many of their principal rail fares this year. However, there is a risk that these very high car parking charges will simply put people off using the train altogether and force even more people onto the roads.

Local MP Steve Webb said, "These huge increases in car parking charges are outrageous. It is ridiculous that the Government tries to cap the cost of rail travel by putting a limit on fare increases but stands idly by while the train companies simply rake in the money through increases in car parking charges. First Great Western should also think again. If higher car park charges put people off travelling altogether then the company will be doing long-term damage to its business by this short term measure".

Steve said that he was also concerned that the large increase in charges at Yate would worsen the problem of rail commuters parking in the residential side streets near to the station. He said that he would now be writing both to the Department of Transport and to First Great Western to protest about the increases.