Rail services reduced after dry weather

Trains between London Waterloo and Exeter St Davids will depart once every two hours from 11 August

Railway services between London Waterloo and Exeter St Davids are being reduced following dry weather.

South Western Railway (SWR) trains between the stations will run once every two hours, reduced from once per hour, from 11 August until further notice.

Dry soil has disturbed the tracks, which means - instead of travelling at a maximum of 85mph - trains will travel at 40mph for safety reasons, which will increase the journey time by one hour, SWR said.

Stuart Meek, SWR's chief operating officer, said: "We have not taken this decision lightly and we recognise the impact that it will have on customers."

The service passes through Hampshire, Wiltshire and Somerset before stopping in Exeter, Devon.

According to the Met Office, this year's spring was the UK's warmest on record and saw the least amount of rain since 1976.

Continuing into summer, the dry conditions removed moisture in clay soil embankments between Gillingham in Dorset and Axminster in Devon, causing them to shrink.

Track which sits above these embankments has been disturbed, so speed restrictions are being imposed for the safety of passing trains, SWR said.

Once soil moisture levels improve and the ground begins to rehydrate and settle, engineers will carry out repairs to stabilise the embankments and restore track levels, allowing the normal timetable to return.

A similar issue caused disruption to the track in Somerset earlier this week and meant Crewkerne has been served by buses instead of trains since Monday.

But SWR said the upcoming amended timetable would restore railway services to the town.

Tom Desmond, operations director for Network Rail, added: "The safety of our customers is our number one priority, which is why we must impose these speed restrictions between Gillingham and Axminster."