Rail services should resume tomorrow

Rail services from Newtown and Caersws to Shrewsbury and Machynlleth could start tomorrow (Wednesday).

Network Rail said a combination of flooding and damage caused to the track in places should be completed today.

The line from Machynlleth to the coastal routes is likely to remain closed for a while longer due to damage from Storm Ciara two weeks ago and further damage last weekend.

“Over the last two weeks, we have seen the network severely impacted by two extreme weather events, in the form of Storm Ciara and Storm Dennis, and we are expecting more extreme rain later this week. This has had major implications for the network and we have had to close several lines while we undertake the necessary assessments and repairs.

“While we have teams working around the clock to bring these lines back into service, we know there are some lines that will remain closed for the short to medium term, while there are others we are hoping we can reopen sooner.

“I completely understand the inconvenience and frustration closing a line causes and we apologise for this and ask passengers to bear with us as we work hard to make good the damage as soon as we can and as safely as we can.”

Transport for Wales’ Customer Delivery Director, Bethan Jelfs said: “As a result of rail and road infrastructure damage and continued flooding caused by Storm Dennis, and a weather warning for further heavy rain this week we are still strongly advising all customers to check their journey arrangements prior to travel and allow plenty of time.

“The rail network is significantly damaged in places and with limited replacement road transport available to us it’s inevitable that some services will be subject to disruption which will result in delays and cancellations.

“Where trains are cancelled or terminating short of destination, every effort will be made to provide a rail replacement bus service wherever possible, however with continued flooding and damage to a number of roads, journeys may take significantly longer than is usual on many routes.

“The safety of our customers and colleagues is our absolute priority and we are working closely with Network Rail and doing all we can to minimise the disruption and keep our customers moving and informed.

“The situation is changing all the time and therefore services are likely to be disrupted with last minute alterations. Customers are advised to check their journey before travelling on nationalrail.co.uk or journeycheck.com/tfwrail/.

“We would like to thank customers in advance for their patience and understanding.”