South Western trains to not stop at Crewkerne until further notice
Dry weather has seen embankments between Salisbury and Axminster shrink, causing temporary speed restrictions.
Rail users in Salisbury and Somerset are being told that South Western Railway trains won't be stopping at Crewkerne until further notice.
It's due to a temporary speed restriction being put in place, after the dry weather saw clay embankments between Salisbury and Axminster shrink. South Western say that this shrinkage is known as ‘soil moisture deficit’ and it has disturbed the levels of the tracks above, meaning that trains cannot travel safely at their normal speeds.
A temporary speed restriction of 40mph will be put in place over four miles in the Crewkerne area. The impact of slower travel times means trains won't be stopping at Crewkerne station until further notice.
SWR say that train services between London Waterloo and Exeter St Davids will otherwise continue to run as per their regular timetable. However, Crewkerne station will only be served by a rail replacement bus service, connecting to Yeovil Junction and Axminster.
These buses will connect with arriving trains at Yeovil Junction and Axminster stations. The journeys will take approximately 30 minutes in both directions. SWR advise customers to allow extra time to complete their journeys.
Tom McNamee, Network Rail’s Wessex Route Infrastructure Director, said:
“We are very sorry for the disruption that customers travelling to and from Crewkerne will experience from Monday 28 July. The hot and dry conditions being felt across the south of England has disturbed track near Crewkerne, and it cannot be fixed until the conditions change. As a result, we have had to introduce a severe speed restriction. "
“We have carefully studied the impact and, unfortunately, it will not be possible to operate a safe and reliable timetable while calling at Crewkerne. Regular customers will know that repeated delays in this area have a cumulative effect, and without changes, they can lead to widespread cancellations and large gaps between services, from London to Exeter."
“We are monitoring soil moisture levels across the Southern Region and the indications are that more timetable changes will have to follow on the West of England Line. We will continue to carefully monitor and give customers as much notice as possible.”
SWR and Network Rail say they will continue to monitor soil moisture levels, track conditions, and train performance, and will provide updates to customers as soon as possible.