Rail services expected to resume after Plymouth lorry-bridge crash

The lorry hit the railway bridge in Plymouth on Monday afternoon

Rail services in Devon are expected to return to normal from Saturday following a week of delays after a lorry hit a railway bridge.

Trains between Plymouth and Totnes were cancelled on Monday following the crash at Ashford Crescent in the city.

The lorry was removed on Tuesday. and a reduced train service has been in place for most of the week.

Stuart Calvert, from Network Rail, said he expected the line to fully reopen from early Saturday morning.

Network Rail said there was "extensive damage" to the bridge at Ashford Crescent

Following the crash, Great Western Railway said it could only run trains at limited speed over one of the two lines over the bridge, with one train per hour operating in each direction between Plymouth and Totnes.

Road replacement services have also been running between Exeter St Davids and Plymouth.

Mr Calvert said: "This was an extensive piece of damage but we worked really, really hard with our train operating colleagues to get services running.

"At the moment we're on plan to get this open for the weekend, hopefully early Saturday morning, so we have a normal Saturday service."

Network Rail previously said the lorry caused "huge damage" to the line connecting Cornwall and south Devon "with the rest of the country", creating "bank holiday misery for thousands".

It urged lorry drivers and haulage companies to "take better care".

Lorry drivers and haulage companies have been told to "take better care" by Network Rail after the crash