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 after flooding in the Wootton Bassett area 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.
Read more: Storm Babet live updates as Wales faces amber warning and woman dies in Scotland
Read more: Met Office extends rain warnings for Wales as Storm Babet continues to batter the UK
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.
Follow our live updates on travel news below:
11:58Branwen Jones
Great Western Railway: All lines are blocked
GWR has confirmed that due to heavy flooding on the railway at Swindon, all lines are blocked.
This is affecting services between:
- Swindon – Westbury
- Paddington – Bristol Temple Meads
- Paddington – South Wales
- Paddington – Cheltenham Spa
11:54Key Event
Transport for Wales: Services suspended across the Wales and Borders route
Transport for Wales has confirmed that all its services are suspended across the Wales and Borders route due to extensive flooding.
Customers are advised not to travel on the following routes.
- Cardiff – Shrewsbury
- Shrewsbury – Chester
- Heart of Wales line
- Wrexham – Bidston
- Shrewsbury – Birmingham
11:42Branwen Jones
Holidaymaker trapped in M4 gridlock fears missing flight – but says some are having a worse day
Bristol Live has reported that a holidaymaker is fearing that he may miss the flight for his holiday due to current travel chaos between Bristol and London.
As mentioned, the M4 is closed in both directions following a serious crash between junction 18 for Bath and junction 17 for Chippenham. Meanwhile, all train lines are blocked by flooding.
One holidaymaker took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to describe the scene on the M4. He reported seeing eight fire engines, seven ambulances and multiple police cars rush to the scene this morning.
Keith Graham said in a post on X at 10.11am: “Sitting on a closed M4 and thinking the deadline to make a holiday flight is passing then remember someone up ahead is having a way worse day than us. 8 fire engines, 7 ambulances, more police cars and they are still coming.”
Click here to read the full story.
11:38Branwen Jones
Heavy traffic on the M4 near Bristol
Road maps indicate that there is heavy traffic on the M4 near Bristol following the crash this morning.
11:28Branwen Jones
M4 near Bristol closed for recovery operation after serious lorry crash
The M4 is set to remain closed near Bristol for “some time” following a serious crash this morning, Bristol Live has reported.
The collision is having an affect on those travelling to and from south Wales.
Avon and Somerset Police said the collision involved a number of vehicles, including a lorry.
Emergency services were called to the crash at around 9.10am. It took place heading eastbound between junction 18 for Bath and junction 17 for Chippenham.
According to Bristol Live, the motorway is now closed in both directions.
Motorists have been urged to find alternative routes amid the closure.
11:15Branwen Jones
Most train journeys cancelled or delayed
Most train journeys leaving Cardiff Central this morning are either cancelled or delayed, according to the Trainline app.
It comes after Transport for Wales advised passengers not to travel today due to extreme weather conditions.
Train journeys from Cardiff Central to Bangor (Gwynedd), Cardiff Central to London Paddington, and train journeys from Cardiff Central to Carmarthen have been delayed or cancelled.
10:51Branwen Jones
Transport for Wales tells passengers not to travel
Transport for Wales has warned passengers not to travel today.
In a post shared on X, they said: “After heavy rain and flooding we are advising passengers do not travel”.
10:33Branwen Jones
Commuters advised not to travel to some parts of north of England
Transport of Wales has advised its customers not to travel certain lines heading to north of England.
The train service has advised customers not to travel on any lines north of Hereford due to flooding following heavy rain.
This may cause disruption to anyone travelling in between south and north Wales as Hereford is one of the stations, as well as stations north of Hereford – Ludlow and Shrewsbury, that are on the main rail line between the two regions.
Meanwhile, the company has also said services between Cardiff and Manchester are being suspended.
09:52Branwen Jones
Welsh roads also affected by extreme weather conditions
Meanwhile on the roads, motorists have been advised to take extra care as extreme weather conditions are affecting some roads in Wales.
Traffic monitoring service, Inrix, has updated its traffic information this morning. Roads in Flintshire are being particularly affected at the moment.
Here’s the latest traffic updates:
09:45Branwen Jones
Trains from Cardiff Central to London Paddington delayed
Trains from Cardiff Central to London Paddington have been delayed this morning.
Great Western Railway warned its customers yesterday that due to severe weather conditions forecast, there may be some short notice cancellations or alterations to services.
09:44Branwen Jones
Transport for Wales warns customers of disruptions
Transport for Wales has warned its customers of potential disruptions due to extreme weather today.