TRAINS will not stop at Crewkerne from tomorrow (July 28), it has been confirmed, due to the ground drying out.
Network Rail and South Western Railway (SWR) have confirmed the move “until further notice”, as the shrinking of ground beneath the tracks affecting levels and making it unsafe for trains to stop.
A replacement bus service will operate between Yeovil Junction and Axminster, with an estimated journey time of around 30 minutes in each direction, as part of a wider amended timetable across the West of England Line.
Rail users are being urged to allow extra time for journeys.
SWR said the decision comes amid the region’s driest spring since 1836, which has caused clay embankments between Salisbury and Axminster to dry out and shrink, known as ‘soil moisture deficit’.
The firm said it has disturbed the levels of the tracks above, meaning trains cannot travel safely at their normal speeds.
A temporary speed restriction of 40mph will be implemented over four miles in the Crewkerne area and, due to the impact of slower running trains on the wider West of England Line timetable, trains will not call at Crewkerne station.
READ MORE: South Somerset news from your Leveller
Speaking on behalf of Network Rail and SWR, 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, July 28.
“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.”
Network Rail began recording soil moisture levels in 2009. Levels at some sites in the Southern Region, which stretches from Kent to East Devon, are at their lowest since those records began.
Many of the Victorian-era railway embankments that support tracks across the Southern Region are made of clay, which absorbs a lot of water and severely shrinks when it is dry.
In very high temperatures clay soil dries out through heat radiation, and any remaining water in the ground is then soaked up by trees and other vegetation. As the soil dries out, it shrinks, disturbing the track above it.
Leave a Reply