Western route

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.

Map showing western route

Main railway lines:

  • the Great Western Mainline from London Paddington to Bristol and into South Wales.

Latest news

Projects in Western

Safety

We work closely with local communities to promote safety by the railway. Find out more on our community safety page.

Related pages