| Engineering works 10 - 16 October 2026 Posted by John D at 07:08, 21st July 2026 |     |
Engineering works and week long closure between Bedwyn and Pewsey/Westbury 10-16 October have been announced
Saturday to Friday:
No trains will run between Bedwyn and Pewsey / Westbury.
Long distance trains between London Paddington and Exeter St Davids / Paignton / Plymouth / Penzance will be diverted, and will either run via:
Bristol Temple Meads (calling to drop off only when running towards London Paddington, and picking up only when running from London Paddington)
Chippenham (some trains will additionally call at Swindon, Westbury and Castle Cary)
No trains will run to / from Pewsey. Replacement buses will run direct between Swindon and Pewsey.
Trains will continue to run between Reading and Bedwyn.
Some trains between Swindon and Westbury will be retimed to run up to 23 minutes earlier or later than usual, in order to accommodate the diverted services.
Monday to Friday:
An amended train service will run during morning / evening peak times between London Paddington and Newbury / Bedwyn.
Due to diversions, the vast majority of local trains between Swindon and Westbury will not run and will be replaced by road transport between Chippenham, Melksham, Trowbridge and Westbury.
However, the 17:36 Swindon to Westbury and 07:45 (amended to depart at 07:52) Westbury to Swindon trains will run.
At Trowbridge, buses towards Westbury will drop off only, and buses from Westbury will pick up only.
No trains will run between Bedwyn and Pewsey / Westbury.
Long distance trains between London Paddington and Exeter St Davids / Paignton / Plymouth / Penzance will be diverted, and will either run via:
Bristol Temple Meads (calling to drop off only when running towards London Paddington, and picking up only when running from London Paddington)
Chippenham (some trains will additionally call at Swindon, Westbury and Castle Cary)
No trains will run to / from Pewsey. Replacement buses will run direct between Swindon and Pewsey.
Trains will continue to run between Reading and Bedwyn.
Some trains between Swindon and Westbury will be retimed to run up to 23 minutes earlier or later than usual, in order to accommodate the diverted services.
Monday to Friday:
An amended train service will run during morning / evening peak times between London Paddington and Newbury / Bedwyn.
Due to diversions, the vast majority of local trains between Swindon and Westbury will not run and will be replaced by road transport between Chippenham, Melksham, Trowbridge and Westbury.
However, the 17:36 Swindon to Westbury and 07:45 (amended to depart at 07:52) Westbury to Swindon trains will run.
At Trowbridge, buses towards Westbury will drop off only, and buses from Westbury will pick up only.
https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/engineering-works/bedwyn-and-pewsey-westbury-20261010/
| Re: Engineering works 10 - 16 October 2026 Posted by grahame at 17:21, 2nd October 2026 | |
From GWR / Network Rail
Dear Graham,
We wanted to make you aware of upcoming track renewal work which will affect all train services operating via Pewsey from Saturday 10 to Friday 16 October.
During this period, replacement road transport is planned between Swindon and Pewsey. Trains between London Paddington and Plymouth or Penzance will be diverted via Swindon, extending journey times by at least 15 minutes. Most of these services will also be diverted via Bristol Temple Meads, adding a further 30 minutes to journey times, although some services will instead run via Melksham.
There will be no direct trains between London Paddington and Paignton or Frome. Train services will continue to operate between Reading and Newbury or Bedwyn, however please note that no replacement transport is planned between Bedwyn, Pewsey and Westbury.
Trains between Swindon and Westbury will operate to an amended timetable over the weekend, with a very limited train service operating on weekdays. From Monday to Friday, the only local stopping trains via Melksham will be the 07:52 Westbury to Swindon and the 17:36 Swindon to Westbury. At all other times, replacement road transport is planned between Westbury and Chippenham, with other train services continuing to operate between Chippenham and Swindon.
Customers should check their journeys before travelling and allow additional time where replacement road transport or diverted services are required. For more information and to view a map of the proposed works please visit: gwr.com/check.
We would be grateful if you were able to cascade this to your networks and, if you have any questions, please do get in touch.
Best wishes,
Olivia & Heledd
Olivia Willett | Deputy Head of Public Affairs | Great Western Railway
E: olivia.willett@GWR.com
Heledd Iolo | Senior Public Affairs Manager | Network Rail
E: heledd.iolo@networkrail.co.uk
We wanted to make you aware of upcoming track renewal work which will affect all train services operating via Pewsey from Saturday 10 to Friday 16 October.
During this period, replacement road transport is planned between Swindon and Pewsey. Trains between London Paddington and Plymouth or Penzance will be diverted via Swindon, extending journey times by at least 15 minutes. Most of these services will also be diverted via Bristol Temple Meads, adding a further 30 minutes to journey times, although some services will instead run via Melksham.
There will be no direct trains between London Paddington and Paignton or Frome. Train services will continue to operate between Reading and Newbury or Bedwyn, however please note that no replacement transport is planned between Bedwyn, Pewsey and Westbury.
Trains between Swindon and Westbury will operate to an amended timetable over the weekend, with a very limited train service operating on weekdays. From Monday to Friday, the only local stopping trains via Melksham will be the 07:52 Westbury to Swindon and the 17:36 Swindon to Westbury. At all other times, replacement road transport is planned between Westbury and Chippenham, with other train services continuing to operate between Chippenham and Swindon.
Customers should check their journeys before travelling and allow additional time where replacement road transport or diverted services are required. For more information and to view a map of the proposed works please visit: gwr.com/check.
We would be grateful if you were able to cascade this to your networks and, if you have any questions, please do get in touch.
Best wishes,
Olivia & Heledd
Olivia Willett | Deputy Head of Public Affairs | Great Western Railway
E: olivia.willett@GWR.com
Heledd Iolo | Senior Public Affairs Manager | Network Rail
E: heledd.iolo@networkrail.co.uk
Sharing, as requested. Also on my personal Facebook page. And as invited, I have written to them as follows
Dear Olivia and Heledd,
Thank you for your email which, as per request, I will share with members of the Melksham Transport User Group, of which I am chair, amd I’m going to share with the West Wiltshire Rail User Group committee next week.
Have I read it right? People who normally catch the 10:00 from Melksham to Swindon, getting there ar 10:27, and return on the 18:44 into Mellsham at 19:10 won’t be able to get to Swindon until 11:09, and on return won’r get to Melksham until 20:38 - that’s 42 minutes delay in the morning and 88 minutes in the morning - on a journey that normally takes just 25 minutes between Swindon and our town - nt a small place, but with a potation of around 25,000.
You (thank you) equipped the IET trains to call at Melksham a year or to back for the very purpose of providing a service when you made diversions like this. Having gone to that expense why on earth aren’t using it? The trains have to slow down to go round the curve through the station here anyway!
My own Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/graham.ellis.melksham/posts/pfbid02gULtaV3sqNjaN6FTKa79ufPdw3Ad9HFLWobJiraLJ2txi7ktKNJMDjHHJLEnoUEQl
Expresses my view. Please get back to me “by return” so I can include any comments from you on the group’s feed which has a far wider reach.
Thanks
Graham
Graham Ellis
48 Spa Road, Melksham, SN12 7NY
graham@sn12.net
07974 925928 or 01225 708225
My emailling policy: https://grahamellis.uk/email
Thank you for your email which, as per request, I will share with members of the Melksham Transport User Group, of which I am chair, amd I’m going to share with the West Wiltshire Rail User Group committee next week.
Have I read it right? People who normally catch the 10:00 from Melksham to Swindon, getting there ar 10:27, and return on the 18:44 into Mellsham at 19:10 won’t be able to get to Swindon until 11:09, and on return won’r get to Melksham until 20:38 - that’s 42 minutes delay in the morning and 88 minutes in the morning - on a journey that normally takes just 25 minutes between Swindon and our town - nt a small place, but with a potation of around 25,000.
You (thank you) equipped the IET trains to call at Melksham a year or to back for the very purpose of providing a service when you made diversions like this. Having gone to that expense why on earth aren’t using it? The trains have to slow down to go round the curve through the station here anyway!
My own Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/graham.ellis.melksham/posts/pfbid02gULtaV3sqNjaN6FTKa79ufPdw3Ad9HFLWobJiraLJ2txi7ktKNJMDjHHJLEnoUEQl
Expresses my view. Please get back to me “by return” so I can include any comments from you on the group’s feed which has a far wider reach.
Thanks
Graham
Graham Ellis
48 Spa Road, Melksham, SN12 7NY
graham@sn12.net
07974 925928 or 01225 708225
My emailling policy: https://grahamellis.uk/email
