Real time trains has some new services (some are extensions of services to/from south west Wales to Cardiff) running through to Bristol from December 2026 timetable

Example Fishguard to Bristol
https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:L00529/2026-12-14/detailed

Looks like they will be worked by class 197 DMUs

In England looks like like stations served are Filton Abbey Wood, Stapleton Road and Bristol Temple Meads.   
Slightly intrigued by including Stapleton Road, but it is fairly east to park for free nearby so maybe it is for people travelling to Cardiff who object to paying for parking

I think this is first phase of proposed services calling at some new stations (usually referred to as Burns stations) along South Wales main line.

There is a rumour that rail growth in Wales will mean additional new trains will be ordered, so possibly bi-modes will get ordered for Burns station services

 
Interesting ... and that's the first full weekday of the Nationalised Great Western operation.   There is sense in calling at some of the lesser served stations such as Stapleton Road ...

Looking at other services for the new timetable I note: DMH MKM WVS

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/detailed/gb-nr:DMH/2026-12-14/0000-2359?stp=WVS&show=all&order=wtt - a failure to address the peak gap that was been created at Dilton Marsh last December

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/detailed/gb-nr:MKM/2026-12-14/0000-2359?stp=WVS&show=all&order=wtt - and no significant changes at Melksham (weekend services look unchanged too).

Bristol to Oxford remains every 2 hours

12 trains from Westbury (and mostly from beyond there) terminating at Salisbury, and 11 trains starting at Salisbury and running to / via Westbury
Early days, of course ...

 
Getting 'not found' pages for both those links

 
I can see John D's link, but as said, grahame's links not visible.

 

Sorry - my (coding) bad - it was expanding the MKM and DMH abbreviations within the URLs. Fixed.

 

Stapleton Road is likely to become increasingly important as an interchange, both to/from the Severn Beach line but also for Abbeywood/Brabazon services. I’m not sure that parking is likely to be a factor.

 
Plus these services stop at Pontyclun eastbound ut not westbound and last service from Bristol TM runs to Maesteg

 
These services are now showing as unadvertised station calls between Cardiff and Bristol

Example here, Bristol Temple Meads, Stapleton Road, Filton Abbey Wood, Severn Tunnel Junction, Newport (South Wales) all shown as unadvertised station calls

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:L00542/2026-12-17/detailed

There were test runs in middle of the night to Temple Meads, with 5 car 197 formation, calling at the stations few days ago

a quirk of schedule is seems to be timed at 90mph in England, but 100mph in Wales (although it might simply be it's been copied from a 158 schedule, as no timings for 197s to Bristol exist)

 

It's always been planned to go to every hour from next May, six days a week.  No plans currently for a Sunday service.

Delays to the 175 introduction might push it back, but hopefully not.

 
What impact might stopping these trains at Stapleton Rd have on the ambition for 4tph from Brabazon? Those relief lines are going to be busy, and single lead junctions at Narroways and the Hallen line won’t help…

 

4tph? We'd be lucky enough to have two at the moment! (speaking as someone who lives a few mins from Ashley Down).

Jokes and sarcasm aside, one of GWR's complaints with these new services was to do with the 2nd train per hour from Henbury that is being discussed and that these services may cause issues with that, but the outcome was that part of the complaint was apparently handled and it wasn't going to be an issue (this is all in publicly available emails).

Some of the back and forth that went on is quite interesting, especially some of the shade being thrown (GWR saying they are concered about TfW's on time performance impact their services, to which TfW replied saying about the domino effect the ongoing Paddington - Reading infrastructure issues have with services at Cardiff) - https://www.orr.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2026-04/tfwr-ltd-s22a-52nd-supplemental-agreement-consultation-responses.pdf

Of course there are also the Burns station services which at least the last we heard were planned to call at most stations this side of the bridge too, maybe resulting in the same issue.

Maybe if 4tph from Henbury ever becomes close to a reality that can then be a conversation, especially if stations like Ashley Down etc get served by 2tph stopping from Cardiff (burns station services), and 2tph from Henbury, with Stapleton Road and Lawrence Hill getting that plus the Severn Beach services too and maybe some additional in the form of these West Wales services, maybe that actually is enough and the question then becomes could the an 2tph from Henbury run another way instead (maybe onto the mains, providing a quicker service between Brabazon and Temple Meads).