Public Transport News
Major Alterations to Train Services between Hereford and London
18 July to 31 August 2009
Between 18 July and 31 August major engineering work will be underway on the "Cotswold Line" between Evesham and Charlbury in preparation for re-doubling of the line from next year. During that period there will be major alterations to train services.
Phase 1 18 July until 2 August 2009:
Buses will replace trains for all journeys between Worcester Shrub Hill and Oxford. During this period you may find that when you enquire about a particular train journey via National Rail Enquiries you are advised to take an alternative route. Passengers travelling from Hereford to London Paddington will probably be advised to travel via Newport or via Cheltenham. Some trains between Cheltenham and London, particularly in the peaks, will start from Great Malvern or Hereford and in the evenings will be extended to Worcester or Hereford. Ticket restrictions on the routes via Newport and Cheltenham have been relaxed and "via Evesham" tickets can be used on these services.
There is more information on First Great Western's website.
Phase 2 3 August - 23 August 2009:
Buses replace trains between Evesham and Moreton-in-Marsh. Passengers from Ledbury, Colwall, Great Malvern and Worcester may find it more convenient to travel via Cheltenham or Bristol Parkway.Through trains between Hereford and London will be diverted via Cheltenham and Swindon and will leave Hereford earlier and arrive back in Hereford later than normal. Ticket restrictions on the route via Newport will be lifted and passengers between Hereford and London who find it more convenient to travel this way can do so at the normal "via Evesham" fares.
There is more information on First Great Western's website.
Phase 3 24 August to 31 August
As Phase 1
Bus Service Changes from 27 June 2009
Bus service 476 (Hereford - Ledbury - Great Malvern) will return to its normal route on Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays from 28 June 2009. DRM buses will, once again, operate a through service between Hereford and Great Malvern and the special shuttle between Ledbury and Malvern, via Colwall, will cease.
Service 600 (Ledbury - New Mills via Railway Station) will have a new timetable as a result of changes to service 675 (see below).
Bus service 675 (Ledbury - Great Malvern) will have a new route and timetable. Buses will return to their normal route through Colwall village but will then follow a revised route to and from Ledbury via Petty France and Wellington Heath. In Wellington Heath most buses will operate direct via Ledbury Road but one journey in each direction will run via The Common. Wellington Heath will have 5 buses to Ledbury and 7 buses to Great Malvern daily (except Sundays). Services 673 and 676 will continue to serve Wellington Heath until 5 September 2009, when the Winter timetable is introduced.
Copies of the new timetables for services 600 and 675 are included in the Update to the Area 3 Ledbury and Ross-on-Wye Area timetable and are available to read and download from the "Ledbury Area Bus Services" page.
Bridge Closure at Colwall Affecting Services 476 and 675
The bridge has now reopened and service 476 has reverted to its normal route. Service 675 is also operating normally, but now has a new route and timetable incorporating Wellington Heath. The new timetable is available to read and download on the Ledbury Area Bus Services page.
Full details of all these changes are contained in "Updates" to Herefordshire Council's Area Timetable Books, which are available from Libraries, Tourist Information Centres and other outlets.
