ONCE again rail services linking Ledbury and Malvern with Worcester and beyond will be disrupted over the weekend.

For the third weekend in a row, there will be no trains running between Great Malvern and Hereford on Saturday (July 2) and Sunday, with coach services being laid on in replacement.

The line closure is to allow modernisation of track and signalling equipment to take place, which is aimed at making the rail system more reliable and reducing the incidence of delays.

The car park outside Great Malvern station remains cordoned off to allow space for the coaches to collect and drop off passengers, and rail users who want to drive to the station are advised to use Malvern Link, where car parking will be free over the weekend.

Services running to and from Malvern, whether to Birmingham and the Midlands, to Oxford, Reading and London, or via Cheltenham towards the West Country or the South Coast, will be running to an amended timetable, and travellers are urged to check online with London Midlands, Great Western or National Rail.

Gazette reader Mike Redman of St Andrews Road took this picture from the Peachfield Road bridge showing the old signals being taken down.

He said: "I suspect these mechanically operated semaphore signals have been there since Victorian times."

Emily Luszcz, Network Rail’s project manager, said: “I’d like to thank passengers for their patience and understanding while we complete essential work to upgrade the railway. This work forms an important part of our Railway Upgrade Plan, to provide greater reliability for passengers and improve their travelling experience.”

Brenda Lawrence of Snow Hill said: “We’ve worked closely with our industry partners and stakeholders to ensure disruption is kept to a minimum, and we strongly advise passengers to check their journeys before travelling.”

Work started on Saturday June 4, and after this weekend, there will also be closures on Sunday, July 10, and Sunday, July 17, and from Saturday, August 6, to Wednesday, August 10.