Staycationers face summer getaway chaos after a rail operator reduced services and slowed train speeds because of the effects of Britain’s scorching summer.
South Western Railway, SWR, says the heat has caused soil shrinkage and rail line shifts.
It is introducing a reduced timetable on its West of England line which links London with Devon, Dorset, Hampshire, Somerset and Wiltshire after clay embankments supporting the railway dried out in the heat.
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The changes will halve the number of trains running between Yeovil Junction, Somerset and Exeter St Davids, Devon, while speed restrictions will remain in place on the 60-mile stretch between Tisbury, Wiltshire and Honiton, Devon.
The West of England line is particularly vulnerable because long sections are single track with only six passing loops, as reported by Need To Know.
As the clay beneath the railway has dried and shrunk the track has becomes less stable, forcing trains to slow down to maintain safety.
Under the revised timetable, services between London Waterloo and Salisbury will continue every 30 minutes, with hourly trains to Yeovil Junction.
Only every other service will continue to Exeter St Davids.
Most journeys to Yeovil Junction will take up to 13 minutes longer, while Exeter services could be delayed by up to 27 minutes.
The same issue disrupted services from August until November last year, but SWR said passengers should experience shorter delays this time thanks to work carried out since then.
Lawrence Bowman, managing director of SWR 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.”
SWR said soil moisture levels are already worse than they were at the same point last year.
Train driver Peter Cook said the movement of the rails could even be spotted from the driver’s cab.
“You can tell when rails are moving and you can see that from a long line away,” he said.
“And at greater speeds it’s more exaggerated.”
Since last summer, engineers have monitored more than 30 sites between Salisbury and Exeter, laid 5,000 tonnes of new ballast, carried out extensive track maintenance and removed more than 200 dead and diseased trees that draw moisture from embankments.
Anne Browne, from SWR and Network Rail, said the problem highlighted the growing impact of climate change.
She said the operator was working with the University of Southampton on long-term solutions, including possible changes to embankment vegetation and track materials.
SWR said journey planners will be updated before the new timetable comes into effect and advised passengers to check before travelling.
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