A trio of planned transport disruptions is set to hit Cheltenham at the same time as the town’s famous Literature Festival this October, with rail replacement buses, a weekend A417 closure and overnight M5 motorway works all falling within the festival’s ten-day run. Passengers and drivers heading to or from Cheltenham between 9 and 18 October are being urged to plan well ahead before they travel.
What Is Happening and When
Great Western Railway has confirmed it will run replacement road coaches instead of trains on routes through Cheltenham Spa on the weekends of 10 and 11 October and again on 17 and 18 October. Replacement buses will cover services between Gloucester and Cheltenham Spa, to Worcester Foregate Street and to Birmingham New Street. Network Rail is carrying out track renewals in the Cheltenham and Tewkesbury areas during both weekend closures, with additional maintenance work in the Worcester area.
For those thinking of driving instead, conditions on the roads will be no easier. The A417 — the main route linking the Cotswolds and the Cheltenham area with the M5 — will be shut between the Shab Hill junction and the A429 Burford Road junction from 23:00 on Thursday 9 October until 06:00 on Sunday 12 October. The closure coincides precisely with the first festival weekend.
Compounding the picture, major engineering works at the M4 and M5 Almondsbury Interchange, just south of Gloucestershire near Bristol, are due to begin on 11 October and run through to December. A section of the interchange — from junction 20 of the M4 westbound to junction 15 of the M5 northbound — will be closed throughout. Traffic will be diverted via the M5 southbound from junction 16, which National Highways has warned is expected to be “under extra pressure”.
The M5 at Cheltenham Will Close Overnight
The second festival weekend brings further disruption for motorists. The M5 will close in both directions between junction 11 at Cheltenham and junction 12 at Gloucester overnight on the weekend of 17 and 18 October, to allow engineers to demolish two pedestrian bridges that pass over the motorway. The timing means drivers travelling between Cheltenham and Gloucester during the evenings of the festival’s final weekend should expect significant detours.
The Cheltenham Literature Festival itself, one of the UK’s most prestigious literary events, runs from Thursday 9 October to Sunday 18 October, drawing visitors from across the country to venues throughout the town. The convergence of major engineering works with the festival period means those arriving by train, bus or car will all face longer journey times on at least some of the event’s days.
Which Rail Routes Are Still Running
Not all GWR services will be suspended. The operator confirmed it will continue running trains between Gloucester and Swindon or London Paddington throughout the affected weekends, as well as on the route between Gloucester and Bristol Temple Meads or Westbury. Passengers arriving in Cheltenham from London will therefore be able to reach the town via a change at Gloucester, though journey times will be considerably extended compared with normal services.
CrossCountry and Transport for Wales services are also affected by the closures. Travellers on those operators are advised to check with their train company directly before travelling.
Chloe Coglan, GWR’s station manager for the Cheltenham and Gloucester area, acknowledged the disruption was unwelcome during a busy event period. “We know that disruption to journeys is never welcome, especially at weekends, and we are sorry for the inconvenience this may cause,” she said. “We would encourage customers to plan ahead, as the alternative travel arrangements are likely to lengthen the usual journey times.”
How to Plan Your Journey
Passengers travelling to or from Cheltenham Spa on the affected festival weekends are advised to check their full journey via the National Rail Enquiries website or directly with their train operator before setting out. Those travelling by car should allow considerably more time and consult National Highways’ online disruption map for live updates on the A417 and M5 closures. Parking at Cheltenham Spa and Gloucester stations is expected to be under greater pressure than normal during the replacement bus periods.
This is a developing transport story. Cheltenham Times will update this article with further journey planning information as it becomes available.
