Weekend rail closure planned between Newport and Shrewsbury for engineering works

Nation.Cymru staff

Passengers travelling between Newport and Shrewsbury are being urged to check before they travel as a major railway line will close for a weekend of engineering work.

Network Rail will shut all lines between the two stations from 12.45am on Saturday, July 11, until 5am on Monday, July 13, to carry out maintenance and upgrade work at several locations along the route.

The work will include track renewals at sites including Pontrilas, Abergavenny and Ludlow, as well as vegetation clearance, bridge and structure inspections, repairs and repainting.

Network Rail said completing several projects during one planned closure would help improve the reliability of the route while reducing the need for future disruption.

Transport for Wales will operate rail replacement bus services throughout the closure.

Buses are expected to run around every 30 minutes on Saturday and hourly on Sunday. Two services will operate for each scheduled departure: one stopping at all stations and a faster service calling only at Shrewsbury, Hereford, Abergavenny, Cwmbran and Newport.

A small number of late-night services will also stop at Cardiff Central.

Passengers are being advised to check their journeys in advance using the National Rail or Transport for Wales websites or app.

Martin Taylor, chief infrastructure officer at Network Rail Wales and Borders, said: “This work is vital to maintaining and improving one of the key railway routes through Wales and Borders.

“By carrying out several upgrades during one planned closure, we can complete the work safely and efficiently while reducing the need for future disruption.

“We appreciate that closing the railway for a weekend will affect journeys, and we’d like to thank passengers and the local community for their patience while we carry out these essential improvements.”

Transport for Wales, said additional staff would be on hand at key stations, including Shrewsbury, Hereford, Abergavenny and Newport, to assist passengers during the closure.