Great Western Railway confirmed that services were disrupted on Sunday afternoon because of animals on the railway

16:10, 12 Oct 2025Updated 16:17, 12 Oct 2025

GWR warned that all lines were blocked while they dealt with the visitors

Passengers faced delays after livestock caused disruption on the railway in Neath. Great Western Railway confirmed that their services were disrupted due to the animals turning up near Neath station on Sunday morning, October 12.

As a result, all lines were blocked, with train services between Cardiff Central and Swansea cancelled or delayed while the issue was resolved. One passenger that was affected by the disruption was Justin, who was travelling on the 10.32am train service to Bristol via the Manchester Piccadilly trainline.

Justin told WalesOnline the livestock disruption on the line caused a delay of over two hours.

A picture shows train staff herding cows onto the platform at Neath.

Justin said: “I was supposed to catch a train from Bristol to Penryn from 1725 to 2210, but it seems I’ll be getting to Bristol at least around 5pm and there’s no outbound times later than that”.

He added: “I will be very disappointed if I can’t get back home tonight”.

Great Western Railway confirmed they were aware of the travel disruption and encouraged passengers to check their journey and follow updates.

On X, they posted: “Due to animals on the railway at Neath all lines are blocked.

“Train services between Cardiff Central and Swansea may be cancelled or delayed. Disruption is expected until 14:30.

“Check your journey at https://t.co/FUh5xp6dAO and follow us for updates”.

In response to WalesOnline’s queries, a spokesperson for the trainline said that anyone who may have been impacted by the disruption, including further information on refunds or help in finding alternative transport, to either contact GWR’s customer service team or their station staff.

To apply for a refund, you’ll need to fill out an online form which can be found here

Your claim must reach GWR within 28 days of the ticket’s expiry date.

If you travelled and your journey was delayed, apply for Delay Repay compensation and GWR will normally process a refund within 28 days of submitting a claim.

Once your refund has been processed, you’ll receive an email confirming the amount that’s been credited to your payment card.