Easter travel disruption on Thames Valley rail routes
People planning to travel by train in the Thames Valley over Easter are being advised to check before setting off, particularly for journeys between Reading and London.
The penultimate phase of the £895m redevelopment of Reading railway station is due to begin alongside other engineering works in the area over the holiday period. The works will include the installation of new freight lines under Reading Viaduct.
The rail operator First Great Western says the project will lead to smoother, faster journeys into and through Reading for its customers. The firm also said the extensive re-signalling work will improve reliability for passengers; and the Cross Rail work in the Thames Valley area will make residents and businesses better connected to the rest of the South East and London.
Click here for a report on the Easter disruption from ITV Meridian's Transport Correspondent Mike Pearse.
Social media users travelling in the Thames Valley area can follow live Twitter updates during the disruption via @FGW and the hashtag #GreaterWest
Trains will not be able to run between Didcot Parkway in Oxfordshire and Hayes & Harlington from Good Friday (3rd April 2015) to Easter Monday (6th April 2015) or on Sunday 12 April.
The alternative arrangements for the Easter disruption are:
Four trains an hour will run between London Paddington, and Hayes and Harlington - two of which are Heathrow Connect services. Tickets will be accepted on London Buses and London Underground.
Four Heathrow Express trains will run an hour direct to Heathrow
Fast bus services will run between Hayes and Harlington and Windsor via Slough, and Hayes and Harlington to Marlow via Maidenhead, Maidenhead and Didcot Parkway via Reading. Stopping bus services will run between Slough and Hayes and Harlington and Reading and Slough
Passengers for Reading and Windsor should take South West Train services from London Waterloo
Twyford and Henley-on-Thames passengers should take a South West Train service from London Waterloo to Wokingham and change for a connecting bus service
There will be an hourly service between Reading and Newbury/Bedwyn, extending to Westbury (via Pewsey) every two hours
On Saturday 4 to Sunday 5 April and on Sunday 12 bus services will replace rail services between Basingstoke and Reading
The transport firms involved apologised profusely to passengers, and said they would work to see such major disruption would not happen again.
In its response to the disruption the consumer watchdog 'Passenger Focus' said passengers 'needed clear evidence that the lessons learned are being acted on now.' The rail firms now have a chance to redeem themselves, depending on how they handle any unexpected additional disruption over the Easter holidays.