All train services between Hereford and Shrewsbury have been cancelled for the rest of today, Friday, 22 September, because of a fault with the signalling system.

The closure will affect all trains between Cardiff Central and Crewe, Chester, and Manchester Piccadilly, and also between Swansea and Manchester Piccadilly.

WATCH: Video explaining how problems with signals and points cause delays – and what Network Rail is doing to prevent them.

Anyone intending to travel between Hereford and Shrewsbury today is advised to travel via an alternative route, and tickets on those routes will be accepted by the relevant train operators:

• between Cardiff Central and Birmingham New Street – CrossCountry
• between Shrewsbury or Hereford and Birmingham New Street – West Midlands Railway
• between Cardiff Central and Bristol Parkway – Great Western Railway
• between Crewe, Chester, Holyhead and Birmingham New Street – Avanti West Coast
• between Stafford / Crewe and Manchester Piccadilly – Avanti West Coast
• between Crewe and Manchester – Northern

Transport for Wales has requested rail replacement buses, but details of those arrangements are not currently available. Further information will be provided once it is known on the Transport for Wales website here or the National Rail website here.

National Rail Enquiries has a real-time Journey Planner available at Your UK Train Journey Planner – National Rail Enquiries to check details of how trains are running.

Helpful advice for travel on a rail replacement service, including accessibility information, is available here.

The location of rail replacement buses can be found by checking station signs or by searching for the relevant station on National Rail s station information pages here.

Anyone who is affected by the closure and experiences a delay in completing their journey may be entitled to compensation. All claims for compensation should be accompanied by the relevant train ticket details of the journey, as both will be required to support any claim.