Service on Waterloo line to return to normal

Extremely dry weather conditions had caused problems to the speed and frequency of trains

Normal hourly services on a rail route connecting Devon and London are set to resume at the end of November after months of disruption.

South Western Railway (SWR) and Network Rail have said they will restore the full West of England Line timetable on Saturday 29 November, connecting Exeter St Davids and London Waterloo.

A reduced two-hourly service has operated since August due to dry weather during the spring and summer which affected track conditions from Yeovil to Exeter.

Tom Desmond, Network Rail's Wessex Route Operations Director said: "We know just how important this line is to its local communities and we are very grateful to our customers for their continued patience."

"We have closely monitored ground conditions and are now able to start track repairs," he added.

"Once those are complete, trains will be able to run at full line speeds, bringing the full timetable back into operation."

Slower speeds were brought in because extremely dry conditions had caused clay embankments between Gillingham in Dorset and Axminster in Devon to shrink, affecting the tracks above.

This also meant trains were unable to pass each other in their usual locations on single line sections of track between Salisbury and Exeter St Davids, necessitating a change in their frequency.

Autumn rain and lower temperatures have slowly restored moisture levels and stabilised the clay.

Bruce Duncan, chair of the Salisbury-Exeter Rail User Group, described it as having been "a very challenging few months for travellers".

"The SWR and Network Rail teams have worked hard to remedy the issues, which were made particularly challenging by the extensive sections of single track on the route.

"We look forward to working with them on long term plans to mitigate the ongoing impacts of climate change," he said.