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Gas leak disrupts Cardiff and Swansea trains to London

GWR advises against travel through the affected section on 23 September. Tickets can be used on 24 September, or refunded if unused.

Louise Pryce ·

Cardiff Central station, photographed in January 2021. Archive photo: No Swan So Fine, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Cardiff Central station, photographed in January 2021. Archive photo: No Swan So Fine, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Original photographCC BY-SA 4.0

Passengers travelling between south Wales and London face major disruption on Wednesday 23 September after a gas leak near Didcot closed the railway between Didcot Parkway and Reading. GWR is advising people not to travel through the affected section, with disruption expected until at least the end of the day.

What is still running

GWR expects to run trains between Swansea and Bristol Temple Meads via Cardiff Central and Newport. A separate diverted service is planned between Bristol Temple Meads and London Paddington. These are alternatives to the normal through journey, not a guarantee of a connection. Replacement buses between Reading and Didcot are very limited.

Use your ticket tomorrow or claim a refund

Tickets for journeys through Didcot on 23 September will be accepted on Thursday 24 September. If you decide not to travel, ask your ticket retailer for a refund on the unused ticket. Check GWR’s latest journey information before setting off: cancellations and alterations can change at short notice.

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