Extra rail replacement buses are being laid on to ensure one of Wales’ premier food festivals is a great success this year, despite the planned closure of the railway.
On 21 and 22 September Abergavenny plays host to its annual food festival with around 25,000 people expected to attend.
However, the main railway line through the town which links Shrewsbury and Newport is closed for the course of the weekend for Network Rail to deliver vital track safety work and to install part of the new accessible footbridge at Abergavenny station.
Senior rail officials from Network Rail and Transport for Wales have now met with festival organisers to agree a plan going forward for extra buses to help make the festival a success.
There will also be a shuttle bus running between Abergavenny station and the town’s bus station, close to the festival itself on both days.
Nick Millington, Network Rail Wales and Borders route director, said:
“We recognise that closing the railway will be inconvenient for those who want and need to use it. We only close the railway reluctantly, but necessarily, when we have to maintain or upgrade the railway system.
“We have planned to close the railway between Newport and Shrewsbury during three weekends in September to undertake a major programme of investment, which will make our railway more accessible and reliable. This includes the construction of an accessible footbridge at Abergavenny, which will provide step-free access for all rail users for generations to come.
“We and our partners at Transport for Wales are working closely with the organisers of Abergavenny Food Festival to minimise the impact of the line closure. There will be a full rail replacement bus service in operation, meaning passengers will still be able to get to and from Abergavenny.”
Jan Chaudhry van der Velde, Transport for Wales chief operations officer, said:
“We know how important the food festival is to Abergavenny and the local economy. While it wasn’t possible to change the dates of the railway work, we have worked with Network Rail and the festival organisers to put on a comprehensive bus operation to get people to and from the festival with as little disruption as possible. We will also have extra customer support presence at key stations along the route to help customers get the right information.
“The track work and the new footbridge will both go a long way to improving customer experience in the area and we thank everyone for bearing with us while this is ongoing.”
Lucie Parkin, Festival Director, said:
“We always encourage people to use public transport where possible. It’s good to know that well-planned alternative provision is in place, including additional shuttle services.
“Visitors choosing to come by car can – as always – use our large Festival car park on both days. We’re excited to be welcoming Food Festival friends from near and far to Abergavenny on 21 and 22nd September.”
Last buses will run from the front of Abergavenny station to both Hereford at 23:10 and to Newport at 00:54 on the Saturday night into Sunday morning. And on the Sunday night into Monday morning, the last bus to Hereford is at 00:34 and the last bus to Newport is at 00:50.
Standby buses will be available at key locations too throughout the day.
The rail replacement plan includes buses calling at all stations and also direct services only calling at Newport, Hereford and Shrewsbury, which will help create more capacity for those traveling to local stations.
