There will be no trains travelling in or out of Westbury Railway Station after the end of service on Christmas Eve until 24th January 2025, which is expected to significantly impact Frome residents wishing to travel on the railway during this time.
The closure will enable engineers to carry out structural repairs to a viaduct between Warminster and Salisbury and renew tracks in the Westbury area.
Commuters, students travelling to schools in neighbouring towns and leisure passengers are expected to be significantly affected by the closure, which coincides with the ongoing closure of the A36 at Limpley Stoke, impacting people’s travel to Bath.
Cllr Steve Tanner said, “The closure of the A36 already represents a challenge for people commuting to and from Frome, so it’s a shame to have disruption to the trains as well. However, it’s our understanding that the work is absolutely essential and that all possible measures have been taken to minimise the inconvenience to travellers, including buses and route diversions avoiding the work. We’ll share updates from the GWR team as we receive them and we encourage regular commuters to contact them with any specific queries.”
All train services running through or stopping at Westbury will be suspended or diverted between Friday 27th December and Thursday 23rd January 2025. A limited service from Bristol Temple Meads will take an alternative route between Trowbridge and Frome, avoiding Westbury. Replacement bus services will operate between Trowbridge and Westbury, Frome and Salisbury, and between Chippenham and Westbury/Frome.
The TransWilts service between Swindon and Westbury will not run during the work dates. Trains will continue to operate between Cardiff Central and Trowbridge, Salisbury and Portsmouth Harbour, and between Frome and Weymouth. The London Paddington service will operate, stopping at Frome instead of Westbury, except during unrelated engineering works from 27th to 29th December.
Full details of affected services will appear on the GWR website in the coming weeks; please visit https://www.gwr.com/travel-information/travel-updates/planned-engineering/wessex for further information.
