To prepare for the introduction of hourly services on the Dartmoor Line, train services on the line will be subject to a 15-day disruption from next Monday.
Network Rail will be carrying out engineering upgrades on the line from Monday, 25th April until the early hours of Tuesday, 10th May.
Engineers will be improving the drainage and track bed at Fatherford and Coleford to enable faster line speeds ready for the increase to hourly services from mid-May.
During the work, a reduced train service will operate between Exeter and Crediton. Between Crediton and Okehampton, a rail-replacement bus service will be in operation. Train services on the Tarka Line between Exeter and Barnstaple will be unaffected.
From Tuesday, 10th May, train services to Okehampton will resume at two-hourly intervals. From Sunday, 15th May, services will increase to hourly.
The Dartmoor Line reopened to regular passenger services last November. Since services resumed, an average of 2,000 journeys have been made every week. Following confirmation of over £40m of Government funding last March, a huge programme of work was undertaken to reopen the line in less than nine months and over £10m under the original budget.
Christian Irwin, Network Rail's Industry Programme Director (South West), said: “These latest upgrades are critical in enabling this important railway line to increase to hourly services –something we had always committed to achieving upon receiving Government funding.
“We have been delighted with how popular the Dartmoor Line has proven to be and we now need to make some further enhancements to parts of the track in order to facilitate increased line speeds which are required to enable hourly services.
“There is never a good time to close such a well-used and relied upon railway such as the Dartmoor Line so we would like to thank passengers for their patience and understanding while we make these critical upgrades for the benefit and future of this railway line.”
Matt Barnes, GWR Head of Strategic Service Development, said: “This final upgrade work is important to ensure we can introduce our additional services later in May and we thank customers for their patience in advance.
“Introducing hourly services on the Dartmoor Line has been a key aspiration for the community and the rail industry since the project was launched, and the demand we've already seen on the line shows just how important good rail connections are for the community they serve.
“We have been working hard to provide a replacement bus service that ensures people can continue to travel with minimal disruption. However, we strongly recommend our customers check their times carefully before travelling to ensure a smooth journey with us.”
Richard Burningham, Manager of the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership, said: “It is incredible to think that from 15 May, not six months since the Dartmoor Line reopened, Okehampton will have trains every hour through much of the day, seven days a week. This engineering work is essential to make that possible. Obviously, there will be a bit of short-term inconvenience and that's unfortunate, but for passengers, I'd say it will be worth it once those hourly trains begin, very soon now.”
For the latest information about the Dartmoor Line please visit https://dartmoorline.com/ and for ticketing and timetable information please visit https://www.gwr.com/
Why wasn’t the drainage sorted while the line was being rebuilt?