A train company has blamed dry weather for cancelling half of its services. South Western Railway (SWR) announced that services from London Waterloo to Exeter St Davids will run every two hours rather than hourly from Aug 11, due to the “driest conditions for around 200 years”.
It also announced trains between Waterloo and Yeovil Junction will be delayed by 25 minutes, and there is currently no end date for the restrictions. The company attributed the cancellations to dry conditions, which have shrunk the clay soil embankments supporting the tracks. This “moisture soil deficit” means that trains have had to run under speed restrictions between Gillingham, Dorset, and Axminster, Devon, limiting the number of trains that can fit on the tracks.
For safety reasons, trains will travel at 40mph instead of a maximum of 85 mph, which will increase the journey time by one hour, SWR said. The service passes through Hampshire, Wiltshire, and Somerset before stopping in Exeter, Devon.
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.”
A spokesperson added: “Because track levels have been disturbed, our trains cannot travel safely at their normal speeds.
“Most of the route west of Salisbury is made of single track, with only a small number of places for trains travelling in opposite directions to pass each other.
“With speed restrictions stretching over 12 miles, trains will not be able to pass each other at their allotted times, and so it will not be possible to run services to the normal timetable.
“Our amended timetables have been designed to provide customers with a reliable service until the speed restrictions can be removed.”