Chepstow - Transport

Transport

Chepstow is located close to junction 2 of the M48 motorway, at the western end of the Severn Bridge. The bridge was opened in 1966 and has the second longest span of any bridge in the UK; it replaced the Aust-Beachley ferry. Before the Severn Bridge was opened, the old cast iron road bridge across the Wye at Chepstow, built in 1816 to replace earlier wooden structures, carried all the road traffic between South West England and South Wales and was the lowest bridging point of the Wye. The M48 motorway now connects Chepstow by road to Newport (18 miles (29 km)) and Cardiff (31 miles (50 km)) to the west, and Bristol (18 miles (29 km)) and London (124 miles (200 km)) to the east. To the north, the A466 up the Wye valley connects the town with Monmouth (16 miles (26 km)), and to the north-east the A48 links it with Gloucester (29 miles (47 km)).

Chepstow railway station is on the main line between Cardiff and Cheltenham Spa. Connections to central Bristol and London are via Newport or Severn Tunnel Junction (8 miles (13 km)). Chepstow is serviced by Arriva Trains Wales; there is a service provided by CrossCountry Trains from Cardiff Central to Nottingham, via Birmingham New Street, in peek commuter times, and operated by Class 170 diesel multiple units constructed by Bombardier in Derby. The railway bridge also known as "The Great Tubular Bridge" spanning the river Wye between Chepstow and Sedbury was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel in 1852 as part of the G.W.R, but the original structure was replaced in the 1960s. Until 1959, passenger trains also operated up the Wye Valley Railway to Monmouth – this service ceased owing to heavy financial losses. The line at Chepstow was blocked by a landslide on 12 November 2009, following heavy rain.

The nearest major airports to Chepstow are at Bristol (27 miles (43 km)) and Cardiff (43 miles (69 km)). London Heathrow Airport is 111 miles (179 km) away.