News

Essential improvements planned for the Heart of Wales line this month

23 Sep 2026 3 minute read

Nation Cymru staff

Passengers are being advised to plan ahead, as a section of the Heart of Wales line will be closed for five days later this month while Network Rail carries out a programme of essential work on the line

The vital engineering work on the railway between Craven Arms and Llandrindod Wells taking place between 07:00 on Monday 28 September and 19:00 on Friday 2 October will help maintain the safety and reliability of services while supporting the long-term future of the Heart of Wales Line.

Teams will be working at several locations along the line, including between Bucknell, Knucklas, Llangynllo, Penybont and Llandrindod Wells.

During the closure, engineers will:

Replace track timbers between Bucknell and Llangynllo.
Renew railway sleepers and timbers between Craven Arms Junction and Llandrindod Wells.
Carry out survey work at Penybont Tunnel to support help plan future work.
Inspect Llangynllo Tunnel and carry out repairs and vegetation work.

The work will also require overnight road closures at several level crossings:

Brynmarlais level crossing, between Llandybie and Bonllwyn: 10.05pm Monday 28 September to 5.30am Tuesday 29 September.
Llandadog level crossing, Llangadog: 9.45pm Tuesday 29 September to 5.30am Wednesday 30 September.
Llandybie level crossing, Llandybie 10.05pm Wednesday 30 September to 5.30am Thursday 1 October.
Tirydail level crossing, Ammanford: 10.05pm Thursday 1 October to 5.30am Friday 2 October.

Check before you travel

Passengers are urged to check before they travel, as Transport for Wales (TfW) will operate rail replacement bus services between Shrewsbury and Llandrindod Wells throughout the closure. Rail services will continue to run between Swansea and Llandrindod. A small number of Shrewsbury to Crewe services will also be affected, with buses replacing trains between Shrewsbury and Crewe between 23:40 and 05:30 each night.

TfW will run a combination of express bus services and minibuses. Express services will call at Shrewsbury, Craven Arms, Knighton and Llandrindod only, while minibuses will serve all stations along the route.

From Monday 28 September to Thursday 1 October, there will be five departures each day from Shrewsbury and six from Llandrindod Wells, with services running approximately every three hours.

On Friday 2 October, there will be four departures from Shrewsbury and five from Llandrindod Wells, running approximately every three hours. Rail services are expected to resume after 19:00 on Friday 2 October, with standby buses remaining available to support customers if required.

Journey times may be longer than usual, so customers are encouraged to allow extra time and plan ahead.

The latest travel information can be found through Transport for Wales website.

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