Newbury blockage - next 4 weeks from 9th July 2018. Advice for Bedwyn passengers

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Hi All,
 
A quick reminder that the next stage of Newbury electrification work starts this Monday 9 July and runs until Thursday 12 July, the line will be open on Friday 13 July and for the weekend of 14 and 15 July.
 
It then closes on Monday 16 July and will not re-open until Sunday 5 August. This second line closure includes weekends and weekdays.
 
More details including diversionary routes, bus times and alternative car park arrangements are on GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)’s dedicated Newbury upgrade web page https://www.gwr.com/travel-updates/planned-engineering/newbury2018
 
Please note that from July 16th GWR are planning to re-time the 0440 Bedwyn bus departure to 0435 to connect with an 0530 bus departure from Newbury to Didcot. This will then connect with the 0614 train departure from Didcot, arriving Paddington 0706. This is still a long journey and the recommendation, for Paddington commuters, remains the 0625 bus departure from Bedwyn (picking up in Hungerford then direct to Reading) to connect with the 0745 Reading departure, arriving Paddington 0811.
 
The return journey is recommended as the 1830 from Paddington, arriving Reading at 1855 then the 1908 bus, arriving Hungerford 2003 and Bedwyn 2018.
 
We will be thinking of you all that have to battle through this.
 
Sincerely
 
Bedwyn Trains Passenger Group

[grahame]

Further advice just received ... with a proviso form me.

Trains may be thin on Sunday, but if you wait to Monday there will be no trains at all ... Pewsey, Bedwyn, Hungerford and Kintbury passengers beware!

GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) is advising customers planning to travel on long distance intercity services on Sunday 15 July that a revised timetable will be in place with a significantly reduced number of trains in operation. Long-distance services – including routes between Paddington and Bristol, South Wales, Oxford and Devon and Cornwall will be most affected, with some changes to suburban services in the West. Trains that do run will be extremely busy.
 
Local stopping services in the Thames Valley are expected to run as normal.
 
Passengers are advised to travel as early as possible, and to consider switching their travel plans to alternate days. To help with this, ticket restrictions have been removed from services on Saturday 14 and Monday 16 July, so that customers with tickets for Sunday, including Advance fixed train tickets can travel on other services. Ticket acceptance has also been agreed with CrossCountry trains.