Network Rail has announced that a 5-day closure of the railway between Dorchester West and Castle Cary will take place in February.

The maintenance work is taking place on the Bristol to Weymouth line between Monday 15th and Friday 19th February.

The work on the ‘Heart of Wessex’ line will mean that rail replacement buses will be in operation whilst the line is closed.

Loose material off the rockface of the cutting to the south of Yeovil Pen Mill station. In addition, new fencing will be installed along with technology which will enable Network Rail to monitor the cutting remotely.

A Road Rail vehicle will inspect the bridge crossing the River Yeo using cameras.

At Yeovil Pen Mill, sleepers will be replaced on the line, with care taken to keep the historic signalling rods which control the semaphore signals at the station.

There is also a separate closure planned which will see buses replace trains between Bournemouth and Weymouth on Saturday 20th  and Sunday 21st February.

Mark Killick, Network Rail Wessex route director, said: “This vital work will improve the reliability of the railway between Dorchester West and Castle Cary, which provides an important route for local communities.”

“Closing the railway for five days means we can complete more work than over a series of weekend closures and would like to thank passengers for their continued patience as our engineers carry out this much-needed maintenance.”

James Wilcox, Great Western Railway station manager for Wiltshire and Dorset, said: “While anyone choosing to travel should follow the latest Government advice, we have been working hard to make sure that those who do need to travel can be confident to do so safely, and that includes running as many trains and carriages as is necessary, as well as enhanced cleaning and social distancing measures.”

“If you do need to travel, please do, plan ahead, reserve a seat and be considerate of others.”

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