Normal rail service resumes after embankment work



Hourly rail services are being reinstated on the London Waterloo to Exeter St David's service following work to remedy issues caused by dry embankments.

South Western Railway (SWR) and Network Rail said the service, which passes through Hampshire, Wiltshire and Somerset will be back to a normal timetable, and journey times, from Saturday. Trains had been running on a reduced timetable with speed restrictions since August, after dry soil disturbed tracks above the embankments.

Bruce Duncan, Chair of the Salisbury-Exeter Rail User Group, said he is "absolutely delighted" at the return to normal timetabling after a "very challenging few months for students, commuters and leisure travellers."

The dry conditions in the summer caused clay embankments between Gillingham in Dorset and Axminster in Devon to shrink, an issue known as "soil moisture deficit", a spokesperson for SWR and Network Rail said. Due to the single line sections of track between Salisbury and Exeter St Davids, trains were then unable to pass each other in their usual locations, resulting in an amended timetable.

Tom Desmond, Network Rail's Wessex Route Operations Director, said: "We can confirm that we are set to restore the full timetable on the West of England Line on Saturday. We are very grateful to our customers for their continued patience and would like to sincerely apologise for the disruption they have experienced since August."

Mr Duncan said moving forward, they will be looking at long term plans to "mitigate the ongoing impacts of climate change".

Mr Duncan said moving forward, they will be looking at long term plans to "mitigate the ongoing impacts of climate change".

Due next week, I understand. Timetable similar to last time, but speeded up by 30mins end-to-end, I'm hearing

Good afternoon,
 
Temporary Timetable Changes on the West of England Line from Monday 10 August
 
We are writing to inform you that South Western Railway (SWR) and Network Rail Wessex will introduce a temporary revised timetable on the West of England line between London Waterloo and Exeter St Davids from Monday 10 August until further notice.
 
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 to 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.
 
Service levels from Monday 10 August
 
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
 
Customer information
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. See below a link to our Plan My Journey Page:
 
www.southwesternrailway.com/plan-my-journey
 
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.
 
SWR and Network Rail will continue to monitor conditions closely and will restore normal service levels as soon as it is safe and operationally possible to do so.
 
We will continue to keep you updated as this progresses. We will shortly issue a press release to inform passengers, local communities and stakeholders. Please find a copy below for your reference.
 
Press Release: Temporary timetable changes to West of England line from Monday 10 August
 
From Monday 10 August, trains between Yeovil Junction and Exeter will be reduced to one every two hours
An amended timetable is being introduced to keep customers moving safely while speed restrictions are in place following prolonged extreme hot, dry weather that has affected track across the route
Customers are still able to travel between London Waterloo and Exeter St Davids, but are advised to allow extra time to complete their journeys
 
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.
 
Notes to Editors
Click here for more information on Soil Moisture Deficit and how extreme hot weather impacts the railway here.
 
Spring 2026 was the warmest on record in England and Wales, with well below average rainfall. In June, the Met Office issued a Red Warning for Extreme Heat for an unprecedented three days in a row. 35C has been recorded in three consecutive months (May, June and July) for the first time, and large parts of England have so far recorded 0% of the expected rainfall in July.
 
In 2025, speed restrictions forced trains to travel at 40mph, down from 85mph, on some sections of track between Salisbury and Exeter St Davids. This year, speeds will be restricted to 50mph down from 85mph between Tisbury and Honiton.
 

SALISBURY TO EXETER RAIL USERS GROUP (SERUG)
Newsletter No: 27 – mid August 2026 SMD Special Supporting the stations of:
Tisbury, Gillingham, Templecombe, Sherborne, Yeovil Junction, Crewkerne, Axminster, Honiton, Feniton, Whimple, Cranbrook, Pinhoe, Exeter Central.
A very brief Newsletter – to provide some further insight on the Soil Moisture Deficit (SMD) issues.
The (SMD) temporary timetable starts on 10th August 2026 (Monday) and will run until advised. It can be found on https://www.southwesternrailway.com/plan-my-journey/timetables.
The main difference to last year's timetable which ultimately ran from July to end November is that due to SWR’s team working with Southampton University (Prof William Plowrie) and better track/tamping work, trains can rum at 50 mph rather than 40 mph last year. That allows journey time improvements of around 30 minutes to the London/Exeter services. There is an excellent article by Paul Clifton in RAIL magazine this week (Issue 1067 5-19 Aug 26) – worth a read.
We are still pushing for an Exeter Central to Axminster shuttle, but we're told.no trains are available – we've been advised that these revised timetables actually require more rolling stock (and crews) than the normal services.
The other serious issue is the lack of rolling stock. Far too many trains are out of service because of defects, some requiring new engines. This is serious because these are 35 years old, and spare new engines are not held in large enough numbers to offer a quick turnaround. In addition, wheel / bogie issues can also be added to the list of defects. There are 29 x 159’s (3 car units) and 9 x 158 (2 car units), including one on loan to another operator. SWR need at least 24 of the 159’s to provide the full service. Added to that, the C6 improvements for all 159’s (to keep them running for another 8./10 years) has hit snags - the first unit started its refresh in December 2025 and may get back into service soon...7+ months later. The following units should have a faster turnaround, but we are still talking "years" before full completion. It's therefore not surprising that so many trains have been formed of 3 cars between Exeter and Waterloo and vice versa. More unplanned work for the SWR Depot at Salisbury who need a thank you!
Poor performance, short trains and now SMD, plus non-effective air conditioning and "dodgy" train passenger information systems, all complete a very disturbing picture.
SWR have been trying to find other 158’s in the UK and hope to have their other 158 back from EMR (East Midlands Railway) soon - see below.
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Oliver Rogers at SWR has been extremely helpful in responding to our many questions raised over the past few days. Below is a summary of the further actions they are taking:
- The information update to not display Woking / Basingstoke calls on short-formed services is now live.
- Further to the above, we will call the Waterloo to Weymouth service additionally at Basingstoke in and
around West of England short forms, to try and take pressure off those services
- More bottled water to trains from tomorrow. Every WoE train should have crates of water, while the hot
weather continues
- Exec and Senior Managers will be at stations Salisbury – Exeter from Monday next week, all week. To
support stations and on-train teams - but also to do some of the explaining to customers on why these
temporary changes are neccessary.
- We will raise the point within SWR about posters & lack of - or no – Automated Passenger Information
or guard announcements.
- We are hoping to be able to confirm the arrival of the additional 158 from EMR by the end of next week,
timescales for entering service look like Autumn, but this requires the final paperwork to be completed.
- We will have a date for the first C6 unit to re-enter traffic very shortly, final tests are now being
completed.
None of these fix the problems we are facing immediately but they will all help.
Note above - about the senior managers – if you see them, do chat - they are all very approachable!
We will continue to update you, where relevant. The SERUG management team will meet next week to work out a wider Campaign to continue to work to get a better railway. We will want all your help with that!
Best wishes for now and the next Newsletter should be out in mid-October 2026 – enjoy the rest of the summer!
Bruce Duncan, Chair.
        <<
Stations now have SMD posters, but no timetables (yet)
Meanwhile... >> overcrowding and short formations continue....
 SERUG’s aim is to lobby the Government, SWR/Network Rail, Train Operators and others to improve the passenger experience on this line. If you’d like to help, Bruce Duncan (Chair) or Nick Hurrell (Secretary) would be pleased to hear from you.
Email: contact@serug.co.uk
Membership is £8 per year – payable in March annually and includes regular updates, and admission to
members only events.
Join our mailing list for free: Simply email us at the above address and join our mailing list to receive regular updates and Newsletters. Look us up on Facebook, or www.serug.co.uk
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The revised timetable has been published and it is not good at at for commuters at the Western End (Axminster to Exeter). Looking at services at Pinhoe, the 07:32 and 08:13 services into Exeter have disappeared and replaced by an 08:53.**snip**