No trains to serve Abergavenny during annual food festival
Twm Owen – Local Democracy Reporter
No trains will serve Abergavenny during its annual food festival due to works to build a new footbridge at the railway station.
Around 25,000 ticket holders are expected to attend festival events over the weekend and event bosses are due to meet with Network Rail which has a series of long planned engineering works taking place on the Marches line, between Newport and Shrewsbury, during September.
Abergavenny Food Festival said it was informed by Network Rail, and train operator Transport for Wales, on August 7 works have been scheduled across three weekends in September including when the festival is taking place.
Network Rail said the work has been planned over a two year period.
Rail replacement buses will be running but Monmouthshire MP Catherine Fookes said she fears a lack of trains will only add to higher than usual traffic volumes over the festival weekend of Saturday, September 21 and Sunday, September 22 and replacement buses could get stuck in traffic.
Postponed
She has requested works at Abergavenny are postponed for a week so the station can remain in use.
In a letter the Labour MP described the new footbridge and lift, to make Abergavenny station accessible including to those with physical disabilities, as “much anticipated and required”.
But she said: “It is a priority for the local economy, those who rely on the festival for business, and the thousands of attendees that Abergavenny be accessible on the weekend of the festival as possible. This would require the station being open and in full use.”
Replacement bus services will run on September 7 and 8, September 14 and 15 and the final weekend of the engineering works, that clash with the festival, with buses calling at all stops, in both directions, on the line including Abergavenny.
Martha Roberts, co-chair of the food festival board said: ‘We are glad to say that we have a meeting arranged with Network Rail in the next few days and hope to find a solution that works for everyone.
“In the meantime, we have a large car park at the festival and replacement buses will be running from neighbouring rail stations for those arriving by train.”
A Network Rail spokesperson said it only closes a railway “reluctantly” and recongised the inconvenience.
Planned
The spokesman said: “We have planned to close the railway between Newport and Shrewsbury during three weekends in September to undertake a major programme of investment, which will make our railway more accessible and reliable. This includes the construction of an accessible footbridge at Abergavenny, which will provide step-free access for all rail users for generations to come.
“This work, which has been planned over a two-year period, has to factor in a number of major events in Wales and beyond, and takes careful and meticulous planning.
“We and our partners at Transport for Wales are working closely with the organisers of Abergavenny Food Festival to minimise the impact of the line closure.”
Other works planned on the festival weekend include preparation for structural works south of Abergavenny and renewing more than 700 metres of track and other upgrades in Herefordshire. Work has also had to be planned alongside scheduled closures of the Severn Tunnel, and the Newport to Gloucester line.
Ms Fookes had shared a letter she sent to Transport for Wales on social media but said she would also make contact with Network Rail that has responsibility for planning the works.
The accessible footbridge at Abergavenny station is due to be completed in early 2025.
Support our Nation today
For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.
It’s really puzzling and my devious mind is working overtime. Almost every time there is an event in Cymru whether it be rugby, football, concert, food festival etc. there is a public transport problem as if someone is deliberately planning rail or road works to coincide. Is it just me that thinks like this?
There is clearly zero coordination. Also, the transport companies, and service providers, clearly have little empathy with Welsh businesses and organisations. Welsh Government need to get tough and start pointing fingers at some of these people.
I agree. It is as though TfW and Network Rail have an aversion to supporting public events by providing extra trains and deliberately schedule works to be at the most inconvenient times. Last year TfW spent a whole week ignoring the Urdd Eisteddfod in Llandovery with no trains on the Sunday before it started and despite having a team at the event. There were no extra trains on most days last year for Royal Welsh in Builth, the World Bog Snorkelling Championship and Man v Horse both at Llanwrtyd. This year the Royal Welsh did have an extra service of… Read more »
Frank; Causation is not correlation!
Maybe these events are planned during quiet periods? so that’s the very periods Network Rail pick to do their work, as it actually disrupts fewest numbers of people.
But the media don’t do stories saying less people disrupted on the railways due to works being carried out at Christmas 🙂
While they’re doing all this work in the area Network Rail should be taking the opportunity to reopen the third platform at Abergavenny as a future terminus for metro services.
Oh that really is expecting too much!
Who ever the Minister of Transport is this week he should be sacked or resign. Total incompetence.
Louise Haigh
Who ?
The Secretary of State for Transport in Whitehall, London, who is responsible for Network Rail which owns most of the railway infrastructure in Wales, and was recently criticised by the Office of Road and Rail for their terrible worst-in-the-uk performance in the Wales and Western region.
OK, probably a genuine improvement. But surely not the best time to choose to do it!
The accessible footbridge at Pontypool and New Inn was completed over 6 months ago along with the associated car park alongside side. Neither are in operation with barriers still in place – Why?