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Newsletter 319: 06/06/2025
Hello All,
Please find some updates below.
Discounted Advanced Fares
We know that a number of you rely on advanced fares to keep the cost of your commute down. Recently, some of these reductions have been removed. We checked in with GWR, their response was:
These fares are not intended for everyday business or commuter travel but are designed to support the leisure market, encouraging customers to use less busy trains in order to reduce loadings on busy, peak time services. We do regularly review and reduce/increase quotas or remove/add Advance tickets to different routes and services.
This dynamic pricing allows us to manage loadings and helps us to protect revenue. This last is important as the rail industry has yet to fully recovery from Covid and we are still therefore receiving significant subsidy from Government.
All revenue we receive from rail fares therefore goes to the Department for Transport. This helps to reduce the cost of rail to taxpayers and it is important therefore that we are careful when offering discounted fares. We will of course continue to monitor the situation, and we are very aware of the need for balance. That said, Advance tickets are not a guaranteed fare and quotas can be reduced or removed at any time.
Getting to Heathrow
In the last newsletter, we described various options for getting to airports. It's been pointed out to us there is another option for Heathrow, which we've added as option 4, below.
1) Travel to Paddington and catch the Heathrow Express, 2) Travel to Reading and catch the RailAir coach link, 3) Change at Reading for Slough and catch the local bus to Heathrow. As many people from Slough work at the airport, the buses are frequent, or 4) Travel to Reading, take the Elizabeth Line to Hayes and Harlington then change onto the Elizabeth Line service to Heathrow.
Engineering Works
Saturday 7th June to Friday 13th June 2025
Sunday 8th - The 2323 Newbury to Reading will not run and will be replaced by a bus.
Monday 9th to Thursday 12th from approximately 2130 until end of service each evening - Buses will replace trains between Reading, Newbury and Bedwyn. A few other trains will either not run, or will be retimed, in some cases, EARLIER than usual.
Monday 9th to Friday 13th - Due to engineering work taking place elsewhere on the network, some trains from London Paddington to Newbury will run slightly later than usual.
Tuesday 10th to Friday 13th - The 0531 Bedwyn to London Paddington will not run. Passengers should travel on a later service.
Saturday 14 to Friday 20 June 2025
Sunday 15th - The 0806 Reading to Newbury will not run and the 0833 Reading to Bedwyn will start from Newbury. A replacement bus will run from Reading to Newbury. The 0804 (departing at 0800) London Paddington to Penzance will not call at Newbury or Pewsey. The 0844 (departing at 0835) London Paddington to Penzance will call additionally at Newbury and Pewsey.
Monday 16th to Friday 20th - Due to engineering work taking place elsewhere on the network, some trains from London Paddington to Newbury will run slightly later than usual.
Tuesday 17th to Friday 20th - The 0531 Bedwyn to London Paddington will not run. Passengers should travel on a later service.
Saturday 21 to Friday 27 June 2025
Nothing affecting Newbury, Kintbury, Hungerford or Bedwyn.
Saturday 28 June to Friday 4 July 2025
Saturday 28th until approximately 0700 - Trains between Reading, Newbury and Bedwyn will be revised. Some trains will be replaced by buses for all or part of their journey, departing EARLIER than usual.
Sunday 29th - 2333 Newbury to Reading will be replaced by a bus.
Tuesday 1st to Friday 4th - 0531 Bedwyn to London Paddington will not run. Passengers should travel on a later service.
Saturday 5 to Friday 11 July 2025
Monday 7th to Thursday 10th from approximately 2145 until end of service each evening - Buses will replace trains between Newbury and Bedwyn.
Saturday 12 to Friday 18 July 2025
Sunday 13th- The 0806 Reading to Newbury will not run and the 0833 Reading to Bedwyn will start from Newbury. A replacement bus will run from Reading to Newbury. The 0804 (departing at 0747) London Paddington to Penzance will not call at Newbury or Pewsey. The 0844 (departing at 0833 London Paddington to Penzance will call additionally at Newbury and Pewsey.
Saturday 19 to Friday 25 July 2025
Monday 21st to Thursday 24th from approximately 2130 until end of service each evening - Buses will replace trains between Reading, Newbury and Bedwyn. A few other trains will either not run, or will be retimed, in some cases, EARLIER than usual.
Tuesday 22nd to Friday 25th - The 0531 Bedwyn to London Paddington will not run. Passengers should travel on a later service.
Saturday 26 July to Friday 1 August 2025
Tuesday 29th to Friday 1st - The 0531 Bedwyn to London Paddington will not run. Passengers should travel on a later service.
Saturday 2 to Friday 8 August 2025
Nothing affecting Newbury, Kintbury, Hungerford or Bedwyn.
Saturday 9 to Friday 15 August 2025
Saturday 9th until approximately 0700 - Trains between Reading, Newbury and Bedwyn will be revised. Some trains will be replaced by buses for all or part of their journey, departing EARLIER than usual.
Sunday 10th - The 0806 Reading to Newbury will not run and the 0833 Reading to Bedwyn will start from Newbury. A replacement bus will run from Reading to Newbury. The 0804 (departing at 0747) London Paddington to Penzance will not call at Newbury or Pewsey. The 0844 (departing at 0833 London Paddington to Penzance will call additionally at Newbury and Pewsey. The 2333 Newbury to Reading will be replaced by a bus.
Tuesday 12th to Friday 15th- The 0531 Bedwyn to London Paddington will not run. Passengers should travel on a later service.
Best wishes
Steve Smith
Bedwyn Trains Passenger Group