Our Western route stretches from London Paddington to Penzance, through Bristol and up to the boundaries with Wales, the Cotswolds and Hampshire
We operate, maintain and are renewing more than 2,000 miles of railway, including the historic Great Western Main Line, conceived by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. There are 198 stations on the route, and we manage London Paddington, Reading and Bristol Temple Meads stations.
Following a 10 year, multi-billion-pound upgrade programme, we now operate electric services between the west of England and London for the first time. Working with partners, we have exciting plans to continue modernising the railway for the benefit of passengers and freight in every area we represent.
On this page you can find out more about some of our plans and projects, as well as links to the eight passenger train operators on Western route.
The Portishead Line
We’re restoring the Portishead Line from Bristol to Portishead. Digital newsletter Sign up for our digital newsletter to get up-to-date information delivered to your inbox. Simply complete the form below and the latest updates on...
MetroWest rail upgrades
Transforming rail travel in the West of England MetroWest is programme of railway upgrades funded by the West of England Combined Authority. It will generate a million new rail journeys and give more than 80,000...
Oxfordshire Connect
We’re expanding Oxford station to enable an increase in train services. The rail infrastructure in the Oxford Station area is near full capacity. It currently can't support the start of East West Rail services. Through...
Bristol Rail Regeneration
Building a brighter future for Bristol’s railway GWR Intercity Express Train at Ashley Down station Ashley Down station opened Ashley Down station in Bristol opened to the public on Saturday 28 September 2024, becoming the...
South West Rail Resilience Programme
We're making the line between Dawlish and Teignmouth more resilient In 2014, heavy storms shut the railway between Exeter and Newton Abbott for eight weeks. Since then, we’ve worked to make the railway more resilient to...
Severn Estuary Resilience Programme
This summer, we are entering the fourth phase of the multi-million-pound programme plan to improve resilience of the Newport-Gloucester line. A vital rail link for passengers that connects South Wales with the West Country, Midlands and north of...
Old Oak Common lineside logistics compound
We are developing plans for a new railway logistics compound on the south side of the Great Western Main Line between Acton West Junction and Kensal Green Junction. We need to create a compound on...
Devizes Gateway feasibility study
Wider rail investment programme for Wiltshire would be needed to make case for new station We have released the results of a feasibility study for the Department for Transport (DfT) into a new railway station...
HS2 Old Oak Common Station
We are currently working on behalf of HS2 Ltd to connect Old Oak Common up to the existing railway network. The construction of HS2, Britain’s new high-speed railway, is well underway. This includes work on...
Mid Cornwall Metro
Mid Cornwall Metro is here: a joint venture between Network Rail, Cornwall Council and Great Western Railway to bring more trains to Cornwall and provide coast-to-coast connectivity More trains to Newquay The first phase of...
We work closely with local communities to promote safety by the railway. Find out more on our community safety page.
