Essential info about the rail companies operating in the West of England.

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Great Western Railway

Network

An extensive network of high-speed trains from London Paddington and branch-line trains serving the South West.

  • High-speed and local routes connect Bristol Temple Meads, Bristol Parkway, Weston-super-Mare and Bath Spa and all the local stations in between
  • Direct services to – London Paddington, Gatwick airport (via Reading), and Portsmouth Harbour
  • All the railway stations in this area are managed by them

Timetables

Local timetables are listed below. You may access up to date timetables on the GWR’s website.

TimetableRoute
B1Cardiff, Bristol, Bath Spa and Swindon to the South Coast
B2Cardiff and Bristol to Southampton and Portsmouth
B3Bristol to Cardiff, Gloucester, Cheltenham Spa, Worcester and the Malverns
B4Bristol to Weston-super-Mare and Taunton
B8Bristol to Avonmouth and Severn Beach
BTLondon and Reading to Bristol, Cardiff and Swansea

Tickets

Tickets may be purchased online from the GWR or National Rail websites, or by calling 0345 7000 125.

  • Search, buy and store advance tickets on your mobile device
  • Get live departure/arrival times and platform info on the move

Taking your bike

Bicycles travel for free in designated areas.

  • 6 spaces available on high-speed trains and 2 spaces on branch line trains
  • Reserve your space at least 24 hours in advance
  • Make your reservation when you book your ticket on the GWR website or by calling 0345 7000 125 (option2)

CrossCountry Trains

Network

A high speed train network with South West routes includes Bristol Temple Meads, Bristol Parkway, Weston-super-Mare stations. Direct services to Birmingham International, Stansted and Southampton airports, via Birmingham New Street.

Timetables

Three services operate on the South West route – the latest CrossCountry pocket timetables may be accessed on their website.

  • Scotland, the North East to the South West and South Coast
  • Nottingham and Derby to Bristol and Cardiff
  • Manchester to the South West and South Coast

Tickets

CrossCountry sell multi-operator tickets and do not charge a booking fee.

Taking your bike

Bicycles travel for free in a designated area of the train – as space is limited, it’s best to make a reservation in advance by calling 0844 811 0124.

  • Most trains have two reservable bike spaces and one further space for unreserved bikes
  • Reservations are accepted on a ‘first come- first served’ basis
  • Folding bikes may be carried as normal hand luggage
  • Tandems, tricycles, bike trailers, motorbikes, scooters, mopeds or motorised bikes are not accepted

Page last checked: 28/03/2018