SOUTH WEST RAILWAYS CHANGES TO TIMETABLE

Following on from our previous communication about soil moisture deficit, South Western Railway (SWR) and Network Rail are writing to inform you of a further important change to South Western Railway services on the West of England line, which will take effect from Monday 11 August 2025 and remain in place until further notice.

South Western Railway services between London Waterloo and Exeter St Davids will run to a reduced timetable from Monday 11 August . Customers are advised to plan ahead and allow extra time to complete their journeys, with the following timetable changes:

• One train per hour from London Waterloo to Yeovil Junction – taking approximately 25 minutes longer than usual.
• One train every two hours from London Waterloo to Exeter St Davids – reduced from one train per hour, taking approximately one hour longer to Exeter than usual

The amended timetable will restore train services to Crewkerne every two hours, which has been served by buses since Monday 28 July. Journey planners will be updated from Monday 4 August.

The temporary timetable is designed to provide customers with a reliable service while trains adhere to speed restrictions, the result of a condition known as soil moisture deficit.

According to the Met Office , the spring of 2025 was the UK’s warmest and sunniest since 1910 and saw the least amount of rain since 1976. Continuing into summer, the extremely dry conditions have removed moisture in clay soil embankments between Gillingham in Dorset and Axminster in Devon, causing them to shrink.

Track that sits above these embankments has been disturbed, so speed restrictions are being imposed for the safety of passing trains. Instead of travelling at a maximum of 85mph, trains will be forced to travel at 40mph.

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 it will not be possible to run services to the normal timetable.

Dry conditions are set to continue, so it is possible further speed restrictions will be required. Attempting to stabilise the track now would only provide a short-lived fix, as the soil continues to move.

Once soil moisture levels improve and the ground begins to rehydrate and settle, engineers will carry out lasting repairs to stabilise the embankments and restore track levels, allowing the normal timetable to return.

We understand how critical this line is to the communities it serves and apologise sincerely for the inconvenience. This decision has not been taken lightly, and we are continuing to monitor conditions and restore the normal timetable as soon as it is safe and feasible to do so.

Kind regards

South Western Railway and Network Rail