Network Rail is undertaking vital reliability upgrades between Axminster and Salisbury and will see a two-part closure of the railway over 21 days. The first closure will take place between Yeovil Junction and Axminster from Monday the 6th to Friday the 10th of November and will see round-the-clock work in order to complete essential upgrades at four sites, including:

• At Crewkerne tunnel, work will continue to stabilise the cutting following the landslip in 2021 and will see specialised six-metre-long soil nails drilled into the ground outside the entrance of the tunnel alongside the installation of new drainage in order to lessen the effects of heavy rain
• Broom and Axe Level Crossing will see the replacement of the barriers
• Weycroft River Bridge will be painted using protective anti-corrosion paint
• Crewkerne level crossing will see the removal of wet beds which are areas of waterlogged track stones

The second closure will take place from Saturday the 25th of November to Sunday the 10th of December between Salisbury and Yeovil Junction. The 16-day closure will see the following work completed:

• Approximately 1,280m of track between Tisbury and Sherborne and a further 457m of track which runs through Gillingham station’s platform one will be replaced and recycled.
• Network Rail Engineers will clear vegetation between Tisbury and Gillingham
• Wyley and Castleton level crossing will see maintenance carried out
• Earthworks will be stabilised by Gillingham tunnel

Rail replacement buses will be in operation during the period of work as follows:

Axminster to Exeter St Davids: 

• Saturday the 14th of October
• Sunday the 15th of October

Gillingham to Andover:

• Sunday the 29th of October until mid-morning

Andover to Woking:

• Sunday the 12th of November

Yeovil Junction to Salisbury:

• Saturday the 18th of November

The vital work comes as part of a half-million-pound investment on the West of England Line and will see reliability and performance improvements made.

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

“Over the past three years, we’ve worked really hard to improve the reliability and resilience of the West of England line by strengthening the cuttings and renewing old worn-out sections of track.:

“Next month, this two-part closure will enable our engineers to continue these important upgrades as part of our continued programme of investment on this line. I fully recognise that every time we close the railway it is disruptive for our customers, and we always work hard to find the time when it inconveniences the least number of people.”

“These upgrades are crucial for the safe and reliable running of services on the West of England line in the future and I’m grateful to customers for their patience and understanding during this time.”

A spokesperson for South Western Railway said:

“The closures on the West of England Line in November and December will allow Network Rail to carry out vital maintenance and keep trains running long into the future.”

“Between Monday 6 and Friday 10 October, rail replacement bus services will operate between Yeovil Junction and Axminster, with a revised train service from Axminster to Exeter St Davids.”

“While the line between Salisbury and Yeovil Junction will be closed between Saturday 25 November and Sunday 10 December, customers will still be able to travel on our services between London Waterloo and Exeter St Davids, as services will be diverted via Westbury.”

“Rail replacement bus services will be in place for customers travelling to Tisbury, Gillingham, Sherborne and Templecombe. Customers are also advised that services between London Waterloo and Salisbury, Basingstoke and Salisbury, Yeovil Junction and Exeter St Davids, and Reading and Salisbury, will all be altered over these 16 days.”

“We appreciate our customers’ patience and advise them to check before travelling at southwesternrailway.com/plan-my-journey.”