This weekend, work to upgrade signalling and renew track will cause disruption to Great Western Railway services via Gloucester and Bristol Parkway.

Trains will not run between Gloucester and Kemble or Yate on Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 November, and trains will not stop at Bristol Parkway on Sunday (5 November) until after 17:00.

• Trains between London Paddington and South Wales will be diverted via an alternative route, which will mean that journeys will take around half an hour longer.
• On Sunday, the diverted GWR services will stop at Patchway instead of Bristol Parkway until 17:00. Buses will connect passengers to and from Bristol Parkway.
• Trains between London Paddington and Cheltenham Spa will travel to Kemble instead of Cheltenham Spa. Trains will run between Swindon and Kemble on Sunday.
• CrossCountry trains will be diverted via an alternative route between Cheltenham Spa and Bristol Parkway/Bristol Temple Meads, stopping at Gloucester and Newport.
• Replacement buses will run between Gloucester and Kemble, Gloucester and Bristol Parkway on Saturday, and Gloucester and Bristol Temple Meads on Sunday.
• Valid rail tickets can also be used on scheduled bus routes Y1, Y2 and Y6 buses between Bristol and South Gloucestershire.

The latest information on the upgrade can be found here.

Ben Scott, GWR Station Manager for the South Cotswolds area, said: “These works form part of an ongoing programme of rail improvement works that will allow us to maintain services for customers travelling via Gloucester or Bristol Parkway.

“Some train services will be using a slightly different route from normal this weekend, in order to maintain connections.

“We will also provide replacement road transport, plus ticket acceptance on relevant bus services to enable customers to complete their journeys.”

Mark Parker, Network Rail project manager, said: “This is part of our continual work to make services safer and more reliable.

“Unfortunately, we do need to close the railway so our teams can work safely and most efficiently.

“We’re sorry for the disruption but the benefits will be felt for decades to come.”