Engineering work to affect train journeys between Swansea and Port Talbot in early November

Passengers are urged to check before they travel between Swansea and Port Talbot next month, when Network Rail will be carrying out essential track renewals.

Buses will replace trains between Swansea and Port Talbot Parkway stations from Monday 4 November to Thursday 7 November inclusive.

Network Rail engineers will be replacing more than 400 metres of track, including switches and crossings (moveable sections of track that guide trains from one track to another and allow them to cross paths), at Landore, between Swansea and Llansamlet stations.

They will also be installing more than 3,500 tonnes of new ballast (track stone) and removing nearly 3,000 tonnes of waste material from site, using 10 engineering trains.

The work will be the first full renewal of that stretch of track since the early 1970s. Individual components have been changed in the intervening years, but this is the first full reset for more than five decades.

Transport for Wales (TfW) services will be replaced with buses between every station on the route, while Great Western Railway (GWR) will operate trains between London Paddington and Port Talbot Parkway, and between Swansea and Carmarthen, with buses replacing trains between Swansea and Port Talbot Parkway.

Nick Millington, Network Rail Wales and Borders route director, said:  “We are working really hard to keep the railway safe and improve train service punctuality. This essential work near Swansea is a part of our commitment to do that.

“We recognise there is never a good time to close the railway, but we have planned this track replacement work to minimise disruption as much as possible.

“I would like to thank passengers for their patience and urge them to check their journeys before travelling.”