Plymouth and Exeter rail disruption as ageing signals replaced

Disruption is being caused between Plymouth and Exeter while new signalling systems are installed

Railway signals on a route are being replaced due to being more than 50 years old, Network Rail says.

Disruption is being caused to weekend rail services between Plymouth and Exeter due to ongoing works to upgrade 66 miles (106km) of track.

A bus replacement service is in place while 21 new signalling systems are installed between Totnes and Plymouth.

Martin Duff, from Network Rail, said a weekend of disruption was "absolutely essential" to replace the signals.

"They're life-expired and for reliability reasons they are now being replaced," he said.

"We are providing additional signals to provide better capacity over the line of route which will allow extra trains to run."

Track at Hemerdon, near Plymouth, will also be removed and renewed over the weekend.

The work is set to finish on Thursday and passengers were advised to check on the details of services before they travel.