TRAIN travellers in Newport heading to the North West or North Wales are set for a day of misery, as a covid outbreak at a busy signal box is set to cause disruption.

Between 11am and 6pm today - Tuesday, March 22 - no trains will be able to stop at or travel through Hereford Railway Station.

A major destination on the English-Welsh border, the station connects trains from Newport Railway Station with North Wales, and the North West of England.

The closure comes as a result of a covid outbreak at the Hereford signal box.

As a result, there are no staff available to operate the junction, and without this, trains would be unable to safely travel in and out of the station.

A lengthy replacement bus route has been sourced.

From Newport, passengers are having to catch a bus to Hereford, and from here, they must catch a second bus to Shrewsbury, where train services are resuming.

The replacement buses are departing the rear car park at Newport’s station, and are additionally calling at Cwmbran, Pontypool and New Inn, and Abergavenny.

It is estimated that this journey will take 95 minutes by bus, a significant increase on the 48 minutes that the route takes by train.

South Wales Argus: Passengers will be able to catch CrossCountry services (pictured), and travel directly to Birmingham, to bypass HerefordPassengers will be able to catch CrossCountry services (pictured), and travel directly to Birmingham, to bypass Hereford

Meanwhile, Transport for Wales, which operates services between Newport and Hereford, has confirmed that ticket acceptance is in place with a number of other rail providers, including West Midlands Railways, Cross Country, Avanti, and GWR.

Anyone looking to travel can also travel via Birmingham New Street or Bristol Temple Meads, instead of having to manoeuvre around Hereford.

It is thought that disruption will draw to a close at 6pm.

What has been said about the disruption?

A representative from Transport for Wales (TfW) said: “Network Rail reported that Hereford signal box will be closed between 11am and 6pm on Tuesday, March 22, 2022 due to resourcing issues.

“TfW has arranged ticket acceptance with West Midlands, Cross Country, Avanti & GWR during this period. Customers can travel via Birmingham & Bristol Temple Meads.

“Network Rail and TfW apologise for the inconvenience caused to your journey during this time.

“Rail replacement has been requested to run between Newport and Hereford, and Hereford and Shrewsbury during this time with customers changing at Hereford for both directions. Please allow extra time for your journey.”