Disruption between Gloucester and Swindon expected until 11:00 

Route(s) affected

Between Worcester Foregate Street and Salisbury, between Worcester Shrub Hill and Swindon, and also between Worcester Shrub Hill / Cheltenham Spa and London Paddington

Description

A broken down freight train between Stroud and Kemble means the line towards Swindon is blocked. As a result, trains running between Gloucester and Swindon may be cancelled, delayed by up to 45 minutes, diverted or revised.

We expect this disruption to continue until 11:00.

Customer advice:

Rail replacement coaches have been requested to run from Gloucester to Swindon via Stonehouse, Stroud and Kemble. These are expected to start operating from 09:00 onwards.

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

• CrossCountry between Cheltenham Spa and Bristol Parkway

• Stagecoach routes:

  • 62: Gloucester (Bus Station), Stroud (Merrywalks), Stonehouse (Elgin Mall)

  • 63: Gloucester (Bus Station), Stroud (Merrywalks)

  • 64: Gloucester (Bus Station), Stonehouse (Elgin Mall), Stroud (Merrywalks)

  • 65: Gloucester (Bus Station), Stonehouse (Elgin Mall), Cam, Dursley, Stroud (Merrywalks)

  • 66: Cheltenham (Promenade), Stroud (Merrywalks)

During this disruption if you wish to use local buses as an alternative means of transport and the local bus is not accepting tickets please purchase a ticket on the bus, keep it and send it, together with your train ticket, to Great Western Railway to claim for a refund.

You may wish to consider postponing your journey until service returns to normal.

Additional information:

A freight train was stuck at the summit of the line between Gloucester and Swindon, near Sapperton Tunnel, due to slippery rails. The freight train attempted the summit again, but came to another stand. The freight train has now been declared a "failure", and the line towards Swindon is closed. A rescue locomotive has now been sourced, and is on its way to the broken down freight train.

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.