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Great Western Coffee Shop > Journey by Journey > Portsmouth to Cardiff > Cardiff -Portsmouth Engineering work 2026
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Author Topic: Cardiff -Portsmouth Engineering work 2026  (Read 5789 times)
John D
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« on: January 13, 2026, 19:46:29 »
Seems the Cardiff-Portsmouth service is having multiple interruptions due to engineering work this year.

Sun 1 Feb
suspended Salisbury - Southampton

Sat 7 - Sun 8 Feb
suspended Warminster - Salisbury

Sun 15 Feb, Sat 21 - Sun 22 Feb
Diverted via Eastleigh, not serving Southampton

Mon 16 - Fri 20 March & Sun 29 March
Only 2 or 4 tracks Newport-Cardiff, some timings changed, some trains not beyond Bristol

Sat 21 - Sun 22 March
suspended Bristol - Cardiff

Sat 2 - Mon 4 May
suspended Bath Spa - Westbury

Sat 23 May - Mon 8 June
suspended Bristol - Cardiff (provisional)
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John D
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« Reply #1 on: February 10, 2026, 08:16:12 »
National Rail has bit more info on the 3 day closure  early May
Bath - Chippenham / Westbury

Quote
Description
Engineering work is taking place between Chippenham and Bath Spa / Freshford, closing most lines.
Saturday to Monday:
An hourly train service will operate between:
London Paddington and Bristol Temple Meads via Bristol Parkway (not calling)
London Paddington and Chippenham via Swindon
Trains between Cardiff Central and Portsmouth Harbour will operate between Cardiff Central and Bath Spa (with most calling additionally at Keynsham and Oldfield Park) then between Westbury and Portsmouth Harbour.
Replacement buses will operate between:
Chippenham and Bath Spa
Bath Spa and Westbury
Bath Spa and Bradford-on-Avon

https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/engineering-works/bath-spa-2-may-20260502/
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Timmer
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« Reply #2 on: February 10, 2026, 13:51:32 »
There is also engineering work in the Bath area the weekend before 25/26 April:

https://www.gwr.com/travel-information/travel-updates/planned-engineering

Quote
Track and structural renewals work will impact train services between Bath Spa and Chippenham or Westbury.

Additional engineering work will also impact trains between Swindon and Westbury on Sunday 26 April until 1130.

Replacement transport is planned between:

Bath Spa and Chippenham, or Swindon
Bath Spa, Bradford-on-Avon, Trowbridge and Westbury, or Frome
Bath Spa, Freshford, Avoncliff and Bradford-on-Avon
Swindon, Chippenham, Melksham, Trowbridge and Westbury (until 1130 Sunday)
Trains will run hourly between London Paddington and Bath Spa via Bristol Temple Meads, with some trains running between London Paddington and Chippenham on Saturday only.

As a result, train services operating between London and South Wales will also be reduced.

GWR▸ (Great Western Railway) will operate trains between Cardiff Central and Bath Spa instead of Portsmouth Harbour, or between Gloucester and Bristol Temple Meads instead of Frome or Weymouth.

Separate train services will be operating between Westbury and Portsmouth Harbour, Frome or Weymouth.

Trains also run on Saturday between Westbury and Swindon plus on Sunday after 1130, along with some additional train services between Chippenham and Swindon.
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John D
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« Reply #3 on: March 07, 2026, 07:44:41 »
In a piece of unfortunate timing for Bath-Westbury close 2-4 May appears to be the first of really busy cruise weekends at Southampton

Sat 2 May has 3 ships over 13,000 berths (double occupancy) over 17,000 (all berths) doing changeovers

Let's hope replacement buses have lots of suitcase room
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John D
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« Reply #4 on: March 20, 2026, 20:31:40 »
Further engineering work has been announced

No trains Fareham - Portsmouth
Saturday 28 March to Thursday 2 April (6 days)

Suspended in Southampton area Sat 11 April - Sun 12 April

Easter weekend Friday 3 April to Mon 6 April has a line closure St Denys-Eastleigh-Winchester, so the Southampton - Fareham - Havant area trains likely to be carrying diverted passengers too.

No trains Fareham - Portsmouth
Monday 25 May to Friday 29 May  (5 days)

No trains through Severn tunnel (diverted to Bristol Parkway)
Sat 22 May - Mon 8 June (17 days)
(so just Bristol-Parkway-Fareham 25-29 May)

So dozens of days in first half 2026 when line is not operating throughout, both weekends and weekdays
« Last Edit: March 20, 2026, 20:43:33 by John D » Logged
John D
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« Reply #5 on: April 20, 2026, 09:56:16 »
Further info on upcoming work, seems the cast iron footbridge in Sydney Gardens, Bath will get scaffolding ahead of grit blasting.

Also going to do work on listed Eastern portal of Box tunnel (which few years ago they allowed vegetation to become established and damage some stonework

https://www.bathecho.co.uk/news/community/restoration-work-railway-bus-replacements-planned-116929/#google_vignette
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Mark A
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« Reply #6 on: April 28, 2026, 20:25:46 »
The state of play with that Sydney Gardens footbridge this afternoon, now encapsulated in its wrap. Not sure why Network Rail says it's the last survivor on the GWML▸ (Great Western Main Line), I'd expect it to have been a bespoke bridge for the location.

I can clearly remember, at about the age of three or four, being taken to that bridge to get suitably filthy watching a procession of large and soot-besmirched locos roll beneath: quite a lot of their exhaust would envelop the bridge and some would make its way between the timbers of the deck. On the negative side, cinders in the eye really hurt and could be stubborn to remove.

Mark

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