GWR timetables and those of other operators change from today, Sunday, May 21, including a number of alterations to Cotswold Line peak services and extra trains between Worcester, Gloucester and Bristol.
On the Cotswold Line, the key changes come on services to and from Hereford – and calls at Reading are reinstated in two evening peak trains from London to the line, after being removed in December 2019.
Please note that the alterations noted below refer to normal services that would be operating if the line between Oxford and Didcot were open. The major work to repair damage to Nuneham Viaduct over the River Thames means this route will not be available again until mid-June at the earliest.
Until then most Cotswold Line trains will operate between Oxford, Worcester, Great Malvern and Hereford only. Limited through services between Worcester and London will continue to operate via Swindon during this closure – check online journey planners for more details.
GWR says that due to the changes in travel patterns since the Covid pandemic in 2020-21, fewer passengers from Hereford are travelling to and from London via Worcester, especially on early-morning services, which is why it has reduced services.
On weekdays, the following changes apply on the Cotswold Line:
- The 04.49 from Hereford to London Paddington is withdrawn west of Oxford
- The 06.40 Hereford to London will now start at Great Malvern, departing at 07.13
- The 09.52 from London to Hereford will call additionally at Honeybourne at 11.31
- The 17.57 from London to Worcester Foregate Street, will call additionally at Reading at 18.23
- The 18.57 from London to Hereford will call additionally at Reading at 19.23 but will now terminate at Great Malvern at 21.21.
At weekends, the following changes apply:
- On Saturdays, the 07.13 from Hereford to London will now start at Great Malvern at 07.43 and the 18.52 from London to Hereford will instead terminate at Great Malvern at 21.13
- On Sundays, the 12.27 from Hereford to London will instead start from Worcester Foregate Street at 13.05 and the 15.52 from London to Hereford will now terminate at Great Malvern at 18.29.
- Also on Sundays, Cotswold Line trains will call additionally at Radley, so that GWR does not need to provide a Turbo diesel unit and drivers to operate Oxford-Didcot Parkway shuttle services.
Click here for more details of the new timetable between Worcester, Ashchurch, Cheltenham, Gloucester and Bristol.
The new timetables, which are valid until December 9, can be downloaded from the GWR websites as pdfs
Click here for the Cotswold Line timetable.
Click here for the Worcester-Gloucester-Bristol timetable.
West Midlands Railway is making changes to its service patterns on the route between Birmingham Snow Hill, Stourbridge, Kidderminster and Worcester, which it says will improve the reliability of the route.
Click here for the Birmingham Snow Hill-Kidderminster-Worcester timetable.
Click here for the Birmingham New Street-Worcester-Great Malvern-Hereford timetable.
There are no major changes to services on CrossCountry Trains’ route between Birmingham, Gloucester and Cardiff, which serves Worcestershire Parkway station.
Click here for the timetable.