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Monday 3 Mar 2025

COMPLETED: West of England Line between Gillingham and Yeovil reopens after essential work to strengthen embankments

Region & Route:

Southern: Wessex

| Southern

Trains are now running again on the West of England Line between Salisbury and Yeovil Junction after Network Rail completed a package of upgrades in the Gillingham area.

A team of engineers worked around the clock to stabilise the cuttings – the steep banks either side of the railway – using soil nails which are drilled into the banks at either end of Gillingham Tunnel to protect that part of the line from landslips that have previously impacted services.

During this time, engineers took advantage of the line being closed to complete a range of other work, including:

• Improving drainage in the Gillingham area to reduce the likelihood of flooding on the tracks,
• Repairing rail defects and replacing ballast (the stones that support the track) through level crossings in the Sherborne area
• General maintenance between Gillingham and Yeovil Junction including inspecting railway equipment, repairing line side fences, and cutting back of any overgrown or diseased trees and hedges that border the railway.

This work is part of a wider programme of investment in the West of England Line which carries SWR services between London Waterloo and Exeter in the South West. Over the past three years Network Rail has completed a range of reliability improvements including upgrading the track through Honiton Tunnel and the level crossings in Tisbury Templecombe, Feniton, Axminster and Crewkerne; strengthened cuttings in Honiton and replaced track in the areas around Tisbury, Sherborne, Axminster and Pinhoe.

Mark Goodall, Network Rail’s Wessex route director, said: “I would like to thank passengers for their patience while we carried out this essential work. We know the West of England Line has been prone to landslips and this week-long closure has allowed us to protect the railway. Network Rail recognises the importance of the line connecting Devon, Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire with London and these works are a part of our commitment to improve reliability on this line. We have further work planned to improve the reliability of the line and will share details of this very soon.”

A spokesperson for South Western Railway said: “We’d like to thank customers for their patience as our colleagues at Network Rail delivered this vital maintenance between Gillingham and Yeovil Junction. We know just how important the West of England Line is to its local communities, and they can now look forward to travelling on a more reliable railway. There will be further engineering works on weekends in March, in the Castle Cary, Yeovil and Westbury areas, so we’d once again recommend customers check before they travel.”