Network Rail

MAJOR railway lines are closed due to a gas leak leaving commuters stranded in rush hour – with the disruption expected to last all day.

Passengers are urged not to travel between Reading and Swindon as engineers frantically attempt to fix the issue, while other routes are seeing significant delays.

The gas leak close to railway land at Didcot Parkway in South Oxfordshire is expected to cause severe disruption throughout Wednesday.

The Reading-Didcot section of the route is the gateway from Paddington towards Swindon, Bristol, Bath, South Wales, Cheltenham and other parts of the West Country.

Diversions are in place but Great Western Rail is cancelling some services outright because trains can’t get through Reading-Didcot.

A total of 72 services to and from Didcot are cancelled, while 39 have been axed at Oxford and 45 at Reading.

TRAVEL CHAOS

Traffic grinds to halt on major motorway after HGV fire – sparking huge queues

FLIGHTMARE

Full list of UK airports hit by delays after ANOTHER air traffic control failure

One social media user posted a photo from Swindon showing trains to Paddington cancelled at 6am.

They wrote: “Apparently there’s been a gas leak around Didcot Parkway so they’ve cancelled most of the services, and no replacement bus services running either.

“The staff at Swindon reckon this will last all day and probably tomorrow.”

Another person responded: “Absolutely ridiculous… not good enough.”

GWR is running roughly one train an hour Paddington-Bath/Bristol via a diversionary route – a fraction of the normal capacity.

It has warned only to travel if absolutely necessary.

Replacement buses are running between Swindon, Didcot and Reading but Network Rail says capacity won’t be enough for everyone.

CrossCountry is also telling passengers not to travel between Reading and Oxford – with one person responding to the company’s X post with: “Thanks for ruining my whole day.”

Network Rail said: “Engineers from gas distribution company SGN are on site working to rectify the problem as quickly and safely as possible.

“Network Rail and train operators are working together to manage the impact on passengers, but normal services cannot operate until the leak has been repaired because the railway falls within the safety exclusion zone.

“Severe disruption is expected to long-distance services that would usually travel through Didcot, and passengers are being warned that trains able to run either side of the affected area will be extremely busy.

“GWR will continue to operate as many trains as possible either side of the incident.”

GWR expects to be able to operate services between:

• Reading and London Paddington
• Swindon and Cheltenham Spa
• Swindon and Chippenham/Bath/Bristol
• South Wales to Bristol Temple Meads
• Worcester and Oxford
• An hourly service between London Paddington and Bath/Bristol via an alternative, diversionary route
• Oxford and Didcot
• An hourly service Bristol Temple Meads and Didcot
• Usual timetabled services that do not run between Reading and Didcot
• A limited bus replacement service will operate between Swindon, Didcot and Reading

ONE of the UK’s biggest cities will see trains cancelled for nearly a week during the busy Christmas period.

No trains will be running at Birmingham New Street from December 24 to 28 while the station undergoes a £13million upgrade.

Services will then resume on Tuesday, December 29.

Upgrades include work on the overhead power lines, which keep the trains moving.

The Christmas closure will mark the first phase of the overall three-year project to upgrade the station, with future phases taking place over Christmas 2027 and 2028.

Network Rail has said that it is working to minimise the impact but has warned travellers that journeys will take longer.

Read more on travel inspo

GO ON

All the little-known websites for cheap or FREE tickets to gigs, theatre & festivals

CHEAP BREAKS

UK’s best 100 cheap stays – our pick of the top hotels, holiday parks and pubs

During the engineering work, the station building will stay open, which means travellers can still head to the shops.

There will also be staff on hand to help out with queries.

Martin Colmey, route director for Network Rail Central route, said: “Birmingham New Street is at the heart of the rail network, supporting millions of local, regional and national journeys every year.

“Much of the overhead line equipment dates back to the 1960s and needs to be replaced. This £13m investment has been carefully planned to make the railway more reliable.

“There is never a good time for this type of work and we have done all we can to reduce its impact as much as possible.

“Christmas is a quieter time, but we know it will affect journeys at an important time of the year.

“We want to make people aware as early as possible so they can plan ahead.

“As soon as tickets are available to buy for Christmas travel, there will be clear, detailed information to help passengers plan their journeys and make informed decisions.”

A NEW train ticket rule has officially rolled out to make life much easier for travellers.

Passengers on Britain’s biggest train operators will now spend much less money when their train is cancelled.

For the first time, passengers left stranded at stations can use an alternative operator’s service to complete their journey free of charge.

The new rule which came into force on Sunday, September 20 hopes to end limbo at stations following cancellations and end the need for costly re-bookings.

Many regular travellers will be aware that this scheme already operates across all 13 publicly-owned operators, such as LNER, Southern, South Western Railway and Greater Anglia.

However, from now, Avanti West Coast, Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry and Great Western Railway will also be involved, offering more stability on a host of key intercity routes across the UK.

GHOST TRAIN

UK’s busiest long-distance train line cuts HUNDREDS of journeys over Christmas

ON TRACK

First look at £4.3bn UK station set to connect passengers to over 100 locations

East Midlands Railway will also be joining the scheme at a later date.

The new scheme comes ahead of the establishment of Great British Railways (GBR) – a programme to transfer all rail services to public ownership and to create a “one-stop shop” for train travel.

Valid ticket holders can travel with another train operator on a direct or reasonable alternative route, but the service must depart within two hours before or after the original cancelled train.

To claim the new ticket, passengers will need to show their original ticket to customer support staff as a proof of purchase, and will not be required to download the new one.

When the new scheme was unveiled, Rail Minister, Lord Hendy, said: “This is a simple, common-sense change that puts passengers first.

“No one should be left stranded because of a fragmented railway when their journey is disrupted.

“From this weekend, if your train is cancelled, you can get on another operator’s service and carry on your journey without paying again.  

“We’re fixing the railway from the ground up, making it simpler, fairer and easier to use, as we move towards Great British Railways and put public service back at the heart of our railways.”

A NEW train ticket rule will be rolled out this weekend, allowing passengers to switch to rival operators for free.

The changes look to make disrupted journeys smoother for travellers and mean they won’t be forced to purchase last-minute pricey tickets.

Those left stranded after a train cancellation will be able to travel on services run by different operators at no additional charge, the government has announced.

The changes are set to be introduced on Sunday, September 20, and promise a smoother travel experience for those facing disrupted journeys.

Many travellers will be aware that cross-operator ticket acceptance is already available across all publicly owned operators.

However, as of Sunday, CrossCountry, Great Western Railway, Avanti West Coast and Chiltern Railways will all become part of the scheme too.

ON TRACK

Underrated English seaside town is getting a new fast train from London

FULL STEAM

First look at new Great British Railways trains being rolled out across the UK

Passengers travelling on any of the services included in the scheme can hop onto the next train if their original route is cancelled, even if it is a different service run by a different operator, without needing to buy a new ticket.

It must be departing two hours before or after your original cancelled service, and the new journey must be a “direct or reasonable alternative route”.

All that is required to complete a journey is showing customer support staff your original ticket to serve as proof of purchase.

Rail Minister, Lord Hendy, said: “This is a simple, common-sense change that puts passengers first.

“No one should be left stranded because of a fragmented railway when their journey is disrupted.

“We’re fixing the railway from the ground up, making it simpler, fairer and easier to use, as we move towards Great British Railways and put public service back at the heart of our railways.”

It is just one of the moves that comes as part of the government’s overhaul of the rail system.

Ahead of the establishment of Great British Railways, travellers can also expect to see pay-as-you-go services rolled out across Greater Manchester, the Midlands and the south-east thanks to a £156million investment by the Government into new ticketing scheme.

A new GBR website and app is also being designed to act as a “one-stop shop” for those heading out on a rail journey.

A MASSIVE £4.3billion ‘superhub’ that will connect passengers to over 100 locations is edging closer to completion.

The huge train station will welcome 250,000 travellers every day and will connect London, the Midlands, the North and Scotland.

Old Oak Common station in West London is part of the new High Speed 2 (HS2) line, which aims to connect London to Birmingham and the West Midlands.

The station has been under construction for the past five years, but an important milestone has been completed in recent days, according to Secret London.

HS2 has now finished construction of six underground platforms at the station.

All of these platforms are 450-metres long and will be used by HS2’s high speed trains.

TAKE A BITE

Bizarre McDonald’s restaurant where you eat burgers in vintage TRAIN carriages

NO GO

Travel warning as airspace closure extended & it’s bad news for long-hauls

A total of 14 platforms will be constructed at the station, six of which will be underground and eight will be built above ground.

Kim Kapur, HS2’s Old Oak Common Area Director, told the outlet said: “The scale of the work – and the station now taking shape – is remarkable.

“However, there is much more to do. This includes construction of the conventional, surface level platforms, completion of tunnels either side of the underground box and installation of the impressive station roof, which will begin next year.

“Old Oak Common will be transformative for the local area, providing a new transport hub, with a new vibrant neighbourhood developing around it.”

A public green space is also being constructed, which will include pocket gardens and a wetlands.

The station is not expected to open until between 2036 and 2039, so passengers have a while to wait before they can enjoy the features.

A SMALL village in Oxfordshire could get a new £29million railway station.

The village itself is small, home to around 700 people – but is right next to Bicester Village and a new attraction currently being built nearby too.

Oxfordshire County Council has the potential for a new station on the Chiltern Main Line in a small village called Ardley.

It’s location is a nine-minute drive away from Bicester Village, a luxury designer outlet shopping centre.

A possible location being considered for the new railway is the site of the previous Ardley station, which closed in 1963.

Plans to build the new station forms part of part of the council’s bid to improve rail connectivity across the region.

ALL IN

UK holiday parks where you can go ALL INCLUSIVE from £25pp with shows & waterparks

RETRO RATES

Our fave childhood holidays that have stayed ridiculously CHEAP – from £9.50pp

The cost of the station is estimated to be between £24-£29million.

If built it would be added to the existing OxRail 2040 proposals, which includes new stops at Oxford Cowley, Oxford Littlemore, Begbroke and Wantage and Grove.

The location of the potential train station will mean it won’t be far from the proposed Puy du Fou theme park.

It’s set to be built on a site north of Bicester near the M40.

Plans were submitted last year for the 370-acre attraction which is set to have four ‘villages’ based on different periods of time, with 13 different live shows.

Three on-site hotels would be part of the theme park and each themed on different periods of British history.

Being primarily outdoors, the park would be open between April and October.

If approved, the first phases of the park will open in 2029, with nearly 1.5million visitors a year.

The theme park is already popular in both France and Spain – it doesn’t have any rides but lots of historical re-enactments and immersive villages.