Major disruption between Cardiff Central and Swansea expected until 18:30 

Route(s) affected

Great Western Railway services between London Paddington and Swansea

Transport for Wales services between Manchester Piccadilly / Hereford / Cardiff Central and Swansea

Description

Animals are on the line in the Neath area, which means that all lines are blocked. As a result, trains running between Cardiff Central and Swansea may be cancelled, delayed by up to 120 minutes or revised.

A visual disruption map video is now available.

Major disruption is expected until 18:30.

Great Western Railway customer advice:

You are strongly advised to delay your travel plans if at all possible. You can use your ticket to travel tomorrow (Monday 13 October) instead, at no extra cost.

You can use your ticket on any Transport for Wales services via any reasonable route at no extra cost. Their services are unable to run due to the same issue, however, where they can (Cardiff Central, Bridgend, Port Talbot Parkway), Great Western Railway tickets will be accepted.

Rail replacement buses have been requested in south Wales to assist customers in reaching their destinations. However, it is unlikely that enough buses will be sourced to meet demand.

Transport for Wales customer advice:

Any tickets dated for travel today (Sunday 12 October) between Port Talbot Parkway and Swansea can be used to travel tomorrow (Monday 13 October) at no extra cost.

Rail replacement buses (operated by Cymru Coaches and Jarvis Coaches) have been organised to run as a shuttle between Port Talbot Parkway and Swansea in both directions. These buses will call at Neath.

Please note that road transport is limited and will take longer than rail services. Please allow extra time to complete your journey.

You may use your ticket on the following services at no extra cost:

• Great Western Railway between Cardiff Central and Port Talbot Parkway (please note, these services are also being impacted by this issue)

• First Cymru bus route 38 between Neath and Swansea

You may wish to travel later today, once the disruption has cleared and trains are running to their normal schedule.

Additional information:

A herd of cattle have broken on to the railway line at Neath, causing all trains movements to stop in the area for safety reasons. Farmers and other personnel are on site assisting.

Check before you travel:

You can check your journey using the National Rail Enquiries real-time Journey Planner.

For helpful advice if you need to travel on a rail replacement service, including accessibility and bicycle information, please use our Rail Replacement Services page.

You can find the pick-up and set-down location of rail replacement services by checking station signage or by searching for your station on our Find a Station page.

Please be advised that replacement vehicles may be busier than usual, and you should allow extra time for your journey.

Compensation:

You may be entitled to compensation if you experience a delay in completing your journey today. Please keep your train ticket and make a note of your journey, as both will be required to support any claim.