RAIL passengers travelling through Kemble in April will be facing severe disruption due to the continued redoubling work of the line between the Cotswold station and Swindon.

Between Saturday, April 12 and Tuesday, April 15, all train travel between Gloucester and Swindon will be suspended and a bus replacement will operate instead.

On Monday, April 14 and Tuesday, April 15 there will be a limited direct service from Gloucester to London Paddington via Bristol Parkway.

However trains will be operating between Gloucester and Swindon across the Easter weekend but to an amended timetable.

The work to redouble the line between the Kemble and Swindon, which began last August, is part of a £45 million project by Network Rail.

Adding the extra track will allow up to four trains per hour to travel on the line in each direction.

Mark Hopwood, managing director of First Great Western, said the upgrade of the line was of vitally important for the future of rail travel in the area.

“These works to the network infrastructure will pave the way for faster, more reliable services and makes the most of the government’s planned investment in electrification and new trains,” he said.

First Great Western is advising passengers that their journeys during this period will take up between 30 and 55 minutes longer than usual.

Network Rail has also announced that the line between Swindon and Gloucester will need to be shut on the week leading up to and over the August bank holiday weekend.

Commuters are encouraged to check the status of their journey before travelling at either www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk or www.nationalrail.co.uk.