South Western Railway (SWR) and Network Rail Wessex (NR Wessex) will introduce a temporary timetable on the West of England line between London Waterloo and Exeter St Davids from Monday 10 August.
Following record-breaking temperatures and prolonged low rainfall, clay embankments supporting the railway between Salisbury and Exeter are drying out, affecting the stability of the track.
To keep customers safe, trains will run at reduced speeds between Tisbury in Wiltshire and Honiton in Devon, a 60-mile stretch of largely single-track railway which is particularly vulnerable to drought-like conditions.
With only six passing loops where trains can pass each other on the single-track, fewer services can run while these speed restrictions are in place. The temporary timetable limits further disruption and delays while providing a safe and reliable service for customers.
From Monday 10 August, until further notice:
- Services between London Waterloo and Salisbury will continue to run every 30 minutes
- One train per hour will run between London Waterloo and Yeovil Junction
- Every other hour, the London Waterloo service will extend to run to and from Exeter St Davids
- Most journeys from London Waterloo to Yeovil Junction will take three minutes longer than usual, with journeys from Yeovil Junction to London Waterloo taking 13 minutes longer than usual
- Most journeys from London Waterloo to Exeter St Davids will take up to 24 minutes longer than usual, with journeys from Exeter St Davids to London Waterloo taking 27 minutes longer than usual
Journey planners will be updated ahead of the timetable changes. Customers are advised to check their journeys carefully and allow extra time to complete their journeys.
Lawrence Bowman, Managing Director of South Western Railway and Network Rail Wessex, said:
“The record-breaking heat of the last few months has had a significant impact on railways across the UK, and parts of our route are particularly vulnerable.
“Extreme weather events are becoming increasingly common, and this is the second year in a row that prolonged hot, dry weather has affected our network.
“Since last summer’s intervention, we’ve invested in strengthening the route, carried out extensive work to the track and embankments, and developed a plan that customers can rely on.
“As a result of that careful planning, we've managed to reduce journey times in our amended timetable by around 30 minutes compared to last year, minimising the impact on our customers while also keeping them safe.
“We are sorry for the disruption these changes may cause. We will restore the regular timetable as soon as conditions allow.”
Since last year, SWR and NR Wessex have continuously monitored more than 30 sites between Salisbury and Exeter, and strengthened the line by carrying out extensive tamping work, installing 5,000 tonnes of new ballast, and removing over 200 dead and diseased trees that suck in moisture and could further destabilise embankments.
SWR and NR Wessex are also working with the University of Southampton to develop longer-term measures to improve the resilience of the West of England line to the effects of climate change and extreme weather.
Click here for more information on Soil Moisture Deficit and how extreme hot weather impacts the railway here.
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