Rail passengers across Gwent are being urged to check journeys carefully as the most significant timetable change in decades takes place this Sunday (December 15).
The timing of nearly every service across the South Wales Mainline, the Marches Line between Newport and Shrewsbury, and on other routes across the Wales and Borders network are hoped to bring more consistency for passengers, with trains departing at the same time past the hour and from the same platforms.
The changes have taken four years to develop and are expected to see increases in the number of services on some routes and later evening services from Swansea and Cardiff.
Transport for Wales’ planning and performance director Colin Lea said: “This is the most significant timetable change in a generation for mainline services.
“We’ve invested £800 million in new trains and now is the time to really make the most of them. We’ve been working towards this timetable for four years and the consistency it will deliver will be a massive improvement for many customers.
“While this is a major change, there are also big improvements planned for the North Wales Coast and Cambrian lines in the next 18 months with newer trains and capacity improvements.”
Nick Millington, Network Rail route director for Wales & Borders, said: “This timetable change is going to be significant with faster journeys, more frequent train services and more seats across our network.
“Our passengers depend on services to get them to where they need to go and these changes are all part of building a better, more reliable, and sustainable railway as we work in partnership with Transport for Wales to deliver the best for Wales & Borders.”
To see how your journey will change go to tfw.wales/plan-a-journey and enter journey details for a date after December 15.