Buses, trains and roads: if you have to get about

We hope you are able to enjoy the warm weather this weekend while staying at home. If you do have to make an essential journey, you may find the following travel updates useful. Bus With the Stay at Home restrictions in place and staff shortages, local bus operators are running reduced services. Don’t rely on timetables at the bus stop, in the apps or the real time displays. Instead check the latest timetables online: First Bus Stage Coach The bus operators are also looking for feedback from key workers on the services: First Bus Stage Coach Don’t forget that if you are a Diamond Travel Card holder, the time restrictions have been lifted so you can get free travel to supermarkets that are running early morning slots for older people. Rail For advice on rail travel across the UK, go to the National Rail enquiries website. Train operators also have their own advice pages including: Cross-Country Trains GWR And for all travel across the West of England check out the Travel West website. Gipsy Patch Lane bridge replacement postponed Work to move the new Gipsy Patch Lane railway bridge into place was due to start today and run until 20th April but it has had to be postponed. The work needs over 150 people to be on site working closely together, so it would have been impossible to follow social distancing guidance. It’s vital to protect the safety of workers and stop the virus spreading. Smaller numbers of workers are still on site doing preparatory highways work. The road remains closed and they continue to run shuttle buses for pedestrians who need to make essential journeys to the other side of the bridge. The new bridge has already been constructed offsite, ready for when the bridge move can be carried out. Despite the postponement of the bridge move, the planned temporary closure of the railway between Bristol Parkway and Newport is still going ahead from Saturday 11 April to Sunday 19 April inclusive. This is so that other planned engineering work on the railway that can be carried out within government guidelines goes ahead. During this period, train services between Bristol and South Wales are changed and buses replace trains between Bristol Parkway and Newport. If a journey is absolutely necessary, we strongly advise you to check before you travel by visiting GWR.com/Check or nationalrail.co.uk. Please note online journey planners may be amended at short notice. Any updates on this project will be posted on social media via www.facebook.com/sgloscpme and the project webpage at www.southglos.gov.uk/cpmetrobus. You can also sign up for a project newsletter on the web page. If you have queries concerning the rail line closure call the Network Rail 24-hour helpline on 03457 11 41 41. Thank you to everyone who is keeping public transport running at this time.

Rail closures 27 October to 18 November

Network Rail will be doubling the tracks between Bristol Temple Meads and Filton Abbey Wood over the next few weeks, which will mean that from Saturday 27 October to Sunday 18 November buses will replace trains between Bristol Temple Meads and Bristol Parkway, and some services will be diverted.

Please check with National Rail Enquiries www.nationalrail.co.uk before you travel how your journey will be affected.

 

Railway works - trains to be cancelled, some disturbance for neighbours

Network Rail will shortly be testing and adjusting the overhead electrification equipment they have already installed. They will also be carrying out track and drainage surveys in and around Chipping Sodbury tunnel.

There will be a big impact on train services - Bristol Parkway will be closed from Saturday 15 September until the morning of Sunday 7 October, and then again on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 October. Buses will be available at Parkway to take passengers to nearby stations. When the railway is closed some trains are diverted, and buses will replace trains on certain routes. Further information can be found here GWR.com/Bristol2018 and here CrossCountryTrains.co.uk/Bristol2018

Disturbance for neighbours

Between Saturday 15 September and Sunday 7 October 2018 Network Rail will be working day and night, seven days a week on the railway near us, and again over the weekend of Saturday 13 to Sunday 14 October. This work will take place while the railway line between Wootton Bassett Junction and Bristol Parkway is closed.

There will be vehicles and staff on the track across the route over the three weeks. When the teams are working, Network Rail say that you may experience some disturbance but the work is not especially noisy, though all railway vehicles will sound their horns before moving to ensure the safety of staff working on the line.

They will be using their existing compounds and track access points around the clock and you will notice more activity at these sites - the Shire Way access point is one of these.

Works near Chedworth - rail clearup has started

The Network Rail works next to Chedworth ground to a halt a while ago when the main contractors Carillion went into bankruptcy. The good news is that Network Rail's new contractor is now on site for the remaining 4 weeks  or so of work, so we hope to see an improvement there soon.

On the project to electrify the main line, the Besom Lane temporary compound just across the footbridge from Shire Way is expected to remain until February 2019.

Works near Chedworth - less mud but rail clearup delayed

We're glad to see that there is visibly less mud on Westerleigh Road from the tipping at Beech Hill Farm. The road is generally being kept pretty clear, though there have been occasional lapses.

On the Chedworth side the Network Rail works are still at a standstill following main contractors Carillion going into bankruptcy. The good news is that Network Rail have appointed a contractor for the remaining 4 weeks work, so we hope to see an improvement there soon.

On the the project to electrify the main line, the Besom Lane temporary compound just across the footbridge from Shire Way is expected to remain until February 2019.

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.

Carillion collapse has effects close to home

The Carillion site at Westerleigh Road near Chedworth

The collapse of the massive company Carillion is having an effect on a wide range of local facilities and projects. These range from services they run at Southmead Hospital for North Bristol NHS Trust to local construction projects like the Carillion site at Westerleigh Road, Yate near Chedworth - the project to stabilise the bankment on the railway line that runs from Bristol Parkway north towards Yate and Gloucester.

All of the hospital facilities are open as normal and patient appointments are not affected, but the effect on the target date for the rail embankment works is not yet known.

As far as we know the electrification of the main GWR line is not affected, as this is being run by another main contractor.

Update 19/01/2018 - Regarding Westerleigh Rd, Network Rail say: "As far as we’ve been told, Carillion’s work for Network Rail continues for the time being as we work with the official receiver to ensure the continuity of its project work. Our aim is to ensure, as far as possible, that this news won’t impact our projects"

Christmas and New Year - Train services

The Christmas and New Year bank holiday period (23 December 2017 to 2 January 2018) is traditionally the time when a considerable amount of improvement and engineering work is undertaken on Britain's rail network. 

Many train companies will also be making changes to their timetable to match service levels to the number of customers travelling. Please plan ahead and check if your journey is affected as some services will be added, some will be restricted, and some will not be running during this time period.

For more info click here

Bristol Parkway Upgrade - station AND M4 MOTORWAY weekend closures in November

Update from Network Rail 10/11/2017: "Due to the progress made with our electrification work on the M4 Blue Bridge last weekend, the motorway will not be closed at Junction 19 this weekend (11/12 November) as previously planned.

We will keep you informed of progress with our upgrade works around the Bristol Parkway area which continue this weekend (11/12) and next (18/19) with no trains calling at the station. Please check before you travel at gwr.com/bristol2017 or crosscountrytrains.co.uk"

Network Rail say: "Our work to increase capacity at Bristol Parkway will continue over the first three weekends of November during planned closures of the station"

"The project includes the extension of the three existing platforms and the construction of a fourth to serve GWR’s new fleet of Intercity Express Trains. We’re also improving the track layout to allow more trains to use the station. The new platform is due to come into use in December 2017"

Bristol Parkway Station will be closed as follows:

• Sat 4 - Sun 5 Nov
• Sat 11 - Sun 12 Nov
• Sat 18 - Sun 19 Nov

M4 Motorway closures

Network Rail continue: "To carry out installation of electrification equipment on the blue railway bridge over the M4 motorway we need to shut the road. To limit disruption we are doing this overnight"

The motorway is scheduled to be closed as follows:

• Fri 3 Nov 11 pm - Sat 4 Nov 7 am
• Sat 5 Nov 9 pm - Sun 5 Nov 8 am
• Sun 5 Nov 10 pm - Mon 6 Nov 5 am  
• Fri 10 Nov 11 pm - Sat 11 Nov 7 am
• Sat 11 Nov 9 pm - Sun 12 Nov 8 am
• Sun 12 Nov 10 pm - Mon 13 Nov 5am  

Foundation Piling progress

"We made great progress with the electrification of the railway between Swindon and Patchway during the line closure in August/September. However, we still have a number of foundations to install, along with the electrified overhead line equipment"

"Piling between Patchway and Bristol Parkway stations is taking place every Saturday night until February 2018. Our hours of work will be between 21:00 – 07:00. We will also be making the most of an opportunity to install a number of foundations during the daytime in this area on the 11 and 12 November"

"We also have a number of foundations left to install in the Acton Turville, Chipping Sodbury and Old Sodbury areas"




Filton Abbey Wood Station

"Work is continuing to prepare Filton Abbey Wood for more trains as part of our project to double the number of tracks on the Filton Bank between Bristol Parkway and Bristol Temple Meads.  We will be adding a fourth platform to the station, with ramped access to the existing footbridge"

"To support the embankment, we are currently building a retaining wall between the site of the new platform and the residential area that backs on to the railway. We’ll then return at a later date to extend the three existing platforms and lay the new track"

"Pedestrians approaching the platforms from the car park side are being diverted via Nutfield Grove while the existing footpath is closed until the end of 2017"
 

More Yate Station improvements

 

Great news for commuters as the ticket machine at Yate Station is about to be covered, meaning the machine is less likely to break and will be easier to read on sunny days. Queuing at the ticket window will also be covered, with more shelter on the platform once you’ve got your ticket. Thanks to the Lib Dem Focus Team for putting in funding bids and finally persuading the authorities to pay up!

If you are interested in campaigning for more station improvements, the next Friends of Yate Station meeting is at 7.30pm on 1st November.

Studies approved for new Yate and Chipping Sodbury Metrobus, Park and Ride

The West of England Combined Authority, which consists of council leaders from Bristol, South Gloucestershire and Bath & North East Somerset (B&NES) councils and Metro Mayor Tim Bowles – have agreed £1.2million to investigate whether it is financially viable to go ahead with 21 transport projects which include four new MetroBus routes around Bristol, six new park and ride sites, and other transport projects.

Among the studies is an outline investigation into the A432 corridor to Yate and Chipping Sodbury, including MetroBus, a strategic cycle route, Park and Ride, Yate Station enhancements and a bypass for Winterbourne and Frampton Cotterell.

Rail electrification - noisy work ahead

Major electrification work will be taking place in our area from 19 August to 15 September, night and day. Some of the work will be noisy, and deliveries to Network Rail compounds along the route (e.g. Shire Way access point) will be made by road, so nearby roads will experience an increase in traffic.

The work will be on the main line from Royal Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire, to Patchway/Filton junctions, via Old Sodbury, Chipping Sodbury and Yate to Westerleigh Junction.

In addition, from 2 September to 15 September 2017, the work area will extend to include Westerleigh Junction towards Yate station, Coalpit Heath, Winterbourne, Stoke Gifford and Bristol Parkway station, up to Patchway/Filton junctions.

Network Rail say "We are electrifying the line to bring passengers quieter, more frequent and more reliable services between London Paddington and Cardiff"

The work includes:

• Carrying out the piling required to install the foundations which will support the electrification equipment. That's the really noisy part.
• Installing the equipment, including trackside masts and overhead wires at some locations.
• Installing electrification equipment in Chipping Sodbury tunnel.
• Improving flood resilience at Chipping Sodbury sidings.
• Preparing Bristol Parkway station for the arrival of new InterCity Express trains, including the construction of a fourth platform.

How can you find out more?

1. Network Rail are setting up a dedicated web page at www.networkrail.co.uk/westernupgrade which will be available from Monday 19 June. It contains more detailed information about the work they will be carrying out and will be updated regularly as the project progresses. It also has a useful introductory video.

2. Network Rail will also be running drop-in sessions, when members of the project team will be on hand to explain the work and answer your questions. The sessions nearest to us are:

• Thursday 29 June, Coalpit Heath Village Hall, 4.30pm to 7pm
• Tuesday 4 July, Ridgewood Community Centre, Yate, 4.30pm to 7pm
• Tuesday 11 July, The Old School Rooms, St Michael’s Centre, Stoke Gifford,
  4.30pm to 7pm
• Wednesday 12 July, Chipping Sodbury Town Hall, 4.30pm to 7pm
• Thursday 13 July, Trinity Primary School, Acton Turville, 6pm to 8pm
• Tuesday 18 July, Old Sodbury Village Hall, 4.30pm to 7pm
• Tuesday 25 July, All Saints Church Hall, Winterbourne Down, 4.30pm to 7pm.

3. If you have any questions about the work, you can email Network Rail at crwest@networkrail.co.uk or call the 24-hour National Helpline on 03457 11 41 41. For updates, you can follow them on Twitter @networkrailwest

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"

Dodington Road bridge to close for two weeks

Dodington Railway Bridge, near Chipping Sodbury School, will be closed from Monday 10 April for 2 weeks.  Network Rail will be working to raise the height of the bridge parapets and provide anti-climbing measures, all associated with the electrification of the railway line.

South Gloucestershire Council will then be working there to install 2 speed tables (long flat "speed bumps") to reduce speed on this dangerous bridge. The works have been timed to coincide with the school holidays.

The diversion route will be signposted along the B4465, A46 and A432, but "locals" will of course know some short cuts.

New shelter at Yate Station

Lib Dem Metro Mayor Candidate Stephen Williams met

Yate councillors Mike Drew, Sue Walker and Ruth Davis and

 Parliamentary Candidate Claire Young to discuss further

improvements at Yate Station

Passengers at Yate railway station will soon be able to buy their tickets in the dry, thanks to a new shelter that is being installed over the ticket machine and kiosk. The roof could be treated with anti-solar glare material to make it easier for passengers to see the screen on the machine.

Your Focus Team has been campaigning with local rail users for improvements at the station for many years, after winning the battle to get it re-opened in the 1980s. Last year Yate Town Council submitted a funding bid for a shelter for the ticket machine and met South Glos transport officials to push for action.

Last week Stephen Williams, the Liberal Democrat Metro Mayor candidate, met rail campaigners at the station to discuss further improvements. As Metro Mayor, Stephen would push for extra trains and carriages to tackle the overcrowding at Yate, as well as re-opening stations like Charfield.

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.

Free rail travel for groups

SEVERNSIDE RAIL COMMUNITY TRAVEL PROJECT

Residents' associations, youth clubs and any other local organisations/charities working with disadvantaged communities in the West of England area (Bristol, Bath & North East Somerset, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire) are eligible to apply for a FREE GROUP TICKET, valid for a date and destination of their choice. Please note that the destination needs to be broadly within the West of England area.

There is NO LIMIT to how many times a single organisation can apply for a free group ticket, but please make sure you are involving as many different people as possible in each outing.

To avoid overcrowding on train services, the MAXIMUM NUMBER of people allowed to travel for free in each outing is 20. This includes any accompanying persons, staff and/or volunteers. Individuals cannot apply directly.

To check if your organisation/charity/group is eligible to take part in this initiative or if you need more information, please contact the project manager: Dr Miriam Ricci, miriam.ricci@uwe.ac.uk Tel: 0117 32 83798. If you are eligible, Miriam will give you a password to complete the application form for the free group ticket.

More details are available here

Save Our Buses petition launched

The Liberal Democrat Focus Team has launched a petition to get South Glos to work with First Bus to save our bus services from the major cuts planned for early September.

• If you live in Chipping Sodbury or northwards, you'll lose your direct link to Southmead Hospital and Parkway station.
• If you use the Yate buses to get to Parkway, you'll only have half as many buses.
• If you use the Yate buses to get to Southmead, although the hourly direct service will stay, you'll lose many of the quicker options that involve changing buses on the way - so the service is effectively halved.
• If you travel to UWE's Frenchay Campus, you'll lose ALL your direct buses except at "school start and finish times".

Please join our campaign and sign our petition here.

You can see the full details of the changes on the South Glos Council website here - please comment on this post if there's another service change that affects you.

Major cuts for buses to Southmead, Parkway, UWE

First Bus has announced major cuts to bus services from Yate and Chipping Sodbury to Southmead Hospital, Parkway Station and the University of the West of England Frenchay Campus, starting 4th September.

You can see the full details of the changes on the South Glos Council website here - you need to look at the sections about services 81, 82 and 16 in particular.

The changes will cause major difficulties for local people. The frequency of the buses from Yate to Southmead Hospital and Parkway Station will be halved, and Chipping Sodbury, Wotton under Edge and the villages in between will lose their direct link to Southmead Hospital and Parkway Station altogether.

In addition almost all the direct buses from Yate to the University of the West of England will be cut, leaving just one "school time" direct service per day in each direction, and that will only run only on school days. Otherwise passengers from Yate will need to change buses at Downend, and passengers from Chipping Sodbury will need to change twice.

These bus cuts are going to cause local people a lot of problems. Halving the buses from Yate to Southmead and Parkway will deter people from using public transport. It will make the parking and traffic situation worse at both destinations. Life will become even more difficult for people who have regular treatment at Southmead, and it will waste a lot of time for people whose trains do not coincide with the bus schedule. This change will also restrict employment opportunities.

Things will be even worse for people who live in Chipping Sodbury, Wotton Under Edge and the villages in between. They will have to change buses in Yate as well, taking longer and pushing up travel costs. People in our area fought long and hard to get decent buses to Southmead when Frenchay Hospital closed, and now many of these services are being taken away.

The savage cuts to the bus services from Yate to UWE will be a major deterrent for students going to their local university. People seem to have assumed that UWE students work school hours and days, which just isn't so. Many students have to juggle lectures with jobs, just to be able to survive. What is more, these changes will affect areas that include Priority Neighbourhoods, where far fewer young people carry on in education after 18.

UWE does not allow students to bring cars to the Frenchay Campus for environmental reasons. The least we can do is make sure that students have decent bus services instead. UWE's Frenchay bus station is also a major interchange used by many people who are not students or staff, often travelling to work.

Bus services in our area are already not as good as much of Bristol, and these changes will make things even worse.

Let's hope that South Glos is willing do something to alleviate the impacts of these changes.