Rail commuters to face travel chaos and delays over Easter bank holiday

First Great Western commuters will face rail disruption over bank holiday weekend

COMMUTERS who will be travelling on First Great Western services over the busy Easter period will face major disruption to their journeys.

Network Rail is completing the penultimate phase of the Reading Redevelopment Project during the Easter break and will have to alter its services as a result.

The work will involve remodelling railway tracks to the west of Reading – the Newbury, Westbury and Basingstoke lines.

From April 3 to 6 and on April 12, there will be just an hourly service between Reading, Newbury and Bedwyn.

This will be extended to Westbury every two hours, calling at Pewsey.

On April 4 and 12 there will be a further reduced service and First Great Western has advised customers to make sure they check their journey before travelling.

There will be no services between Reading and Theale on April 12 and a rail replacement bus service from Reading will operate instead.

Onwards rail connections will be available at Theale to Newbury, Bedwyn, Pewsey and Westbury. Connections will be available at Westbury for services to the West of England.

Between April 4 and 5 and on April 12, there will be no trains between Reading and Basingstoke.

Two rail replacement bus services will run instead: one calling at all stations and the other running non-stop.

From April 3 to April 6 and on April 12 – for travel from Reading to Oxford there will be a non-stop bus running to Didcot Parkway from where onward rail connections will be available.

For travel from Reading to Swindon there will be a non-stop bus in operation.

South West Trains will be operating a service every 15 minutes from London Waterloo to Reading (Sunday excepted). Tickets will also be accepted on South West Trains from London Waterloo to Reading.

Between April 7 and 11, there will be a revised train service through Reading.

Trains will not call at Pangbourne and a rail replacement bus service will operate between Tilehurst and Goring & Streatley.

Pangbourne season-ticket holders may park and travel from Theale.

On April 11 there will be two trains an hour between London Paddington and Reading calling at all stations.

Check https://www.firstgreat western.co.uk/contents/ travel-advice/Easter-2015-works before travelling.