Travel chaos due to Storm Babet as train services cancelled and …

Storm Babet has brought travel chaos to Wales and the south west of England with trains cancelled, passengers advised not to travel and the M4 gridlocked on the other side of the Severn Bridges after a serious crash.

All mainline services in south Wales have either been cancelled or delayed this morning afterflooding in the Wootton Bassett area has forced Great Western Railway to cancel or delay all services into or out of south Wales. Transport for Wales has also asked people not to travel on their services unless absolutely necessary because of disruption.

The M4 is also closed in both directions near Bristol after a lorry overturned. The crash took place between junction 18 for Bath and junction 17 for Chippenham. The problem was first reported at 9.19am and there are now long tailbacks.

And there is also heavy congestion due to poor weather on the A55 in north Wales. Traffic Wales is urging motorists to take extra care.

A spokesperson for the Great Western Railway said: “Due to flooding in the Wootton Bassett area all lines between Bristol Temple Meads via Bath and Swindon, and Bristol Parkway/South Wales and Swindon, are blocked.”

They added: “CrossCountry will take passengers between Bristol Temple Meads and Cheltenham Spa via Bristol Parkway in both directions until further notice. Arrangements have been made for Great Western Railway rail tickets to be accepted for these journeys. GWR services will be diverted via alternative routes where possible (from Bristol Temple Meads direct Reading/London Paddington).”

Arrivals and departure boards at Cardiff Central show all London Paddington and Bristol services are affected, as well as those travelling to north Wales and to the west in Carmarthen.

Meanwhile, Transport for Wales has also warned that the extreme weather may cause disruptions. On their X page, they wrote: “There have been a number of floods on some lines this morning due to heavy rain. Expect delays.” At around 10.47am however, the service warned passengers that due to heavy rain and flooding, they were advising passengers to not travel at all.

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References

1. ^{^} https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/live-updates-uk-expects-heavy-27938171 (www.walesonline.co.uk)
2. ^{^} https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/met-office-extends-rain-warnings-27945961 (www.walesonline.co.uk)