Rail passengers from Shropshire face winter of frustration
Rail passengers face a winter of frustration, with station closures and delays expected to cause delays across the Midlands.
People travelling north from Shropshire will be among those facing problems, Network Rail revealed today.
A scheme to improve journeys between north and south Wales means there will be a number of works on the lines between Wrexham, Chester and Rhyl, causing delays and replacement services.
Services will not be running between Wrexham and Rhyl with bus replacements during this weekend and next weekend.
On Sunday the bus replacement will extend to Shrewsbury.
And from Monday services between Wrexham and Chester will be replaced with buses until next Friday.
The problems mean that Shropshire commuters who regularly catch the train in Ludlow, Church Stretton, Shrewsbury, Gobowen or Chirk will be faced with delays after the Wrexham stop.
A journey from Shrewsbury to Chester on November 8 could take an hour and 40 minutes by bus, rather than the usual time of about one hour 15 minutes.
Nationally, a £150million programme of engineering works was today announced by Network Rail affecting networks and lines around the country including Great Western, Greater Anglia, Southeastern and the Brighton main line and extending over Christmas.
There will be no overground train services to Heathrow on December 27 and 28 and for more than a week after Christmas trains to Gatwick will take about an hour longer.
The disruption comes a year after late engineering work stranded 115,000 passengers on trains and outside stations in London as part of the £120million programme.
But Network Rail, which manages railways infrastructure, said this year's work would be "less disruptive" and that it was part of an upgrade plan "aimed at meeting surging demand and improving and expanding our congested railway network".
It insisted its "orange army" of staff would be working around the clock to ensure the work is completed on time.
On the Great Western main line, Paddington station in London will be closed on December 27 and 28, forcing passengers travelling to south Wales or the West Country to take long diversions.
Trains to Cardiff and Swansea will leave from Marylebone and go via Banbury and Oxford, adding up to an hour and a half to the journey.
Passengers travelling to Somerset, Devon and Cornwall on December 27 and 28 will have to use London Waterloo, with trains diverting via Basingstoke and Reading, adding an extra hour and 10 minutes to their journey. There will be no Heathrow Express or Connect services on either day.
