During September, Network Rail engineers will carry out £5m of delay-busting landslip prevention work between Axminster and Exeter.

The work is to be carried out from Monday, 19th to Friday, 23rd September and will require total closure of the line between Axminster and Pinhoe. Buses will replace South Western Railway services from Axminster to Exeter St Davids.

Engineers will install two retaining walls, 32 metres and 16 metres in length, and sheet piles (metal posts with concrete planks in the middle for added support) to protect the line from lengthy closures caused by landslips.

During the closure, the existing drainage systems will be improved and a new one installed, along with carrying out vital track maintenance. By strengthening the cutting, and improving the drainage, the line will be more resilient to extreme weather and heavy rainfall and provide customers with a more reliable train service.

East Devon District Council will also use the railway closure to complete a huge project to protect 65 homes in Feniton from flooding.

The closure is part of a series of major upgrades totalling millions of pounds of investment planned for the West of England line, which will make journeys more reliable for customers for years to come. Similar earthworks will be carried out along the route in December and there will also be another extended line closure next lyear as follows:

December 10 to December 17, 2022:

Salisbury to Yeovil Junction

• landslip prevention at Gillingham tunnel;
• track improvements in the Tisbury and Gillingham areas.

November 25 – December 10, 2023:

• Templecombe – renewing points and crossings;
• Gillingham tunnel – cutting maintenance and track maintenance;
• Templecombe and Gillingham – station improvements.

Mark Killick, Network Rail’s Wessex route director, said:

“The West of England line is a key part of the railway on Southern region so it’s vital we continue to invest to give our customers the reliable service they deserve.

“While we have tiny electronic sensors in the ground at Honiton Tunnel to monitor any movement so we can keep our passengers safe, it’s incredibly important that we carry out these works to stabilise the earth so we can prevent future landslips and lengthy disruption.

“By doing the work over five days means we can avoid a series of back-to-back weekend closures which would be even more disruptive, plus we can take advantage of the extended access to complete other upgrades and vital track maintenance.”

Peter Williams, South Western Railway’s commercial director, said:

“The upgrades that Network Rail is carrying out will significantly boost the reliability and resilience of a vital part of our network.

“Customers intending to travel from Monday until Friday should check before they travel and make use of the alternative transport options which have been provided.

“We recognise the decision to close the line for an entire working week will have a significant impact on those who use the line, but this will avoid a more protracted series of closures instead.

“We would like to thank those affected customers for their patience and understanding as this important modernisation work is carried out.”