Temporary Timetable Changes on the West of England Line from Monday 10 August
South Western Railway (SWR) and Network Rail Wessex will introduce a temporary revised timetable on the West of England line between London Waterloo and Exeter St Davids from Monday 10 August until further notice. Following record-breaking temperatures and prolonged low rainfall, clay embankments supporting the railway between Salisbury and Exeter are drying out, affecting the stability of the track. To keep customers safe, trains will run at reduced speeds between Tisbury in Wiltshire to Honiton in Devon, a 60-mile stretch of largely single-track railway which is particularly vulnerable to drought-like conditions. With only six passing loops where trains can pass each other on the single-track, fewer services can run while these speed restrictions are in place. The temporary timetable limits further disruption and delays while providing a safe and reliable service for customers.
Temporary timetable changes to West of England line from Monday 10 August
- From Monday 10 August, trains between Yeovil Junction and Exeter will be reduced to one every two hours
- An amended timetable is being introduced to keep customers moving safely while speed restrictions are in place following prolonged extreme hot, dry weather that has affected track across the route
- Customers are still able to travel between London Waterloo and Exeter St Davids, but are advised to allow extra time to complete their journeys
AND
From Monday 10 August, until further notice:
- Services between London Waterloo and Salisbury will continue to run every 30 minutes
- One train per hour will run between London Waterloo and Yeovil Junction
- Every other hour, the London Waterloo service will extend to run to and from Exeter St Davids
- Most journeys from London Waterloo to Yeovil Junction will take three minutes longer than usual, with journeys from Yeovil Junction to London Waterloo taking 13 minutes longer than usual
- Most journeys from London Waterloo to Exeter St Davids will take up to 24 minutes longer than usual, with journeys from Exeter St Davids to London Waterloo taking 27 minutes longer than usual
Customer information
Journey planners will be updated ahead of the timetable changes. Customers are advised to check their journeys carefully and allow extra time to complete their journeys. See below a link to our Plan My Journey Page:
www.southwesternrailway.com/plan-my-journey
Since last year, SWR and NR Wessex have continuously monitored more than 30 sites between Salisbury and Exeter and strengthened the line by carrying out extensive tamping work, installing 5,000 tonnes of new ballast, and removing over 200 dead and diseased trees that suck in moisture and could further destabilise embankments.
SWR and NR Wessex are also working with the University of Southampton to develop longer-term measures to improve the resilience of the West of England line to the effects of climate change and extreme weather. SWR and Network Rail will continue to monitor conditions closely and will restore normal service levels as soon as it is safe and operationally possible to do so. We will continue to keep you updated as this progresses. We will shortly issue a press release to inform passengers, local communities and stakeholders.
Lawrence Bowman, Managing Director of South Western Railway and Network Rail Wessex, said:
“The record-breaking heat of the last few months has had a significant impact on railways across the UK, and parts of our route are particularly vulnerable.
“Extreme weather events are becoming increasingly common, and this is the second year in a row that prolonged hot, dry weather has affected our network.
“Since last summer’s intervention, we’ve invested in strengthening the route, carried out extensive work to the track and embankments, and developed a plan that customers can rely on.
“As a result of that careful planning, we’ve managed to reduce journey times in our amended timetable by around 30 minutes compared to last year, minimising the impact on our customers while also keeping them safe.
“We are sorry for the disruption these changes may cause. We will restore the regular timetable as soon as conditions allow.”
What is Soil Moisture Deficit (SMD)
When railway embankments shift it affects track geometry – the precise positioning, alignment and measurements of our tracks. Sleepers can move out of position, shifting sideways or downwards, which affects the rails on top of them.
Tracks need to be level for trains to run at full speeds, and if the levels, or ‘track geometry’, isn’t right, temporary speeds restrictions are put in place to ensure they run safely.
The West of England Line, an important part of our network, is particularly vulnerable to SMD. The route serves a total of 21 stations over 120 miles and connects London with Exeter St Davids in Devon, Salisbury in Wiltshire and Yeovil Junction in Somerset.
The line between Salisbury and Exeter is a predominantly single-track railway. Speed restrictions along long stretches of single-track can cause cumulative delays and disruption along the whole line, which can have a knock-on impact on other services across the network.
In these instances, temporary timetable amendments can offer better reliability for customers on the West of England line.
Unlike buckled rails or issues with signalling equipment, there is no quick fix for track affected by SMD. It can take weeks or even months of rain for moisture levels to return to normal.
Spring 2026 was the warmest on record in England and Wales, with well below average rainfall. In June, the Met Office issued a Red Warning for Extreme Heat for an unprecedented three days in a row. 35C has been recorded in three consecutive months (May, June and July) for the first time, and large parts of England have so far recorded 0% of the expected rainfall in July.
In 2025, speed restrictions forced trains to travel at 40mph, down from 85mph, on some sections of track between Salisbury and Exeter St Davids. This year, speeds will be restricted to 50mph down from 85mph between Tisbury and Honiton.
