Update after ‘do not travel’ warning issued for Swindon

On Wednesday, September 23, rail services from Swindon were heavily disrupted, with almost all services into the London Paddington cancelled, with Bristol services also facing swathes of cancellations.

The disruption was caused by a gas leak near the railway line near Didcot Parkway, and drove Network Rail to issue a “do not travel warning” between Swindon and Reading.

A gas leak near the railway at Didcot is still causing disruption to train services across the network today - we're sorry if your journey has been affected.

Teams from across the railway are working to keep customers moving as much as possible, but gas engineers are still… pic.twitter.com/enBQPhpDNL

— GWR (@GWRHelp) September 23, 2026

This morning (Thursday, September 24), however, services from Swindon are back on track, with Great Western Railway’s live network updates page showing a “good service” on all routes, and trains heading from Swindon to London and from Swindon to Bristol Temple Meads largely on schedule.

Network Rail had previously confirmed services would be operational again between Reading and Swindon on Thursday after engineers from gas distribution company SGN successfully repaired the leak.

The company clarified that the gas leak happened during nearby building works, and that for safety an exclusion zone, which included railway land, was required for remedial work to be completed.

On Wednesday, Marcus Jones, route director for Network Rail's Great Western route, said: "I'm pleased to confirm that SGN's engineers have now repaired the gas leak near Didcot, and the safety exclusion zone affecting the railway has been lifted.

Train services are back up and running after the gas leak was repaired. (Image: GWR)

"We know this incident has caused frustration for customers and we're grateful for their patience while the necessary safety measures were in place. We'd also like to thank SGN and our train operator colleagues for their close collaboration throughout the response.

"While we expect a near-normal service from Thursday, there may still be some short-notice changes as we work to fully restore the timetable, so please check your journey before you travel."

GWR Managing Director Mark Hopwood said: "I'm glad to say the gas leak near Didcot has now been repaired, and we expect to be running a near-normal service from Thursday.

"I'm sorry for the disruption this has caused customers over the last couple of days, and I'd like to thank everyone for bearing with us while SGN's engineers carried out this essential repair work.

"As we work to fully restore normal services, there's a chance some trains may still be subject to short-notice alterations, so please check before you travel. Our colleagues at stations and on trains will continue to help customers with their journeys, and we'll keep passengers updated if anything changes."