Media centre

Sunday 9 Feb 2014

Media Update: check before you travel in the Thames Valley on Monday

Region & Route:

National

• Flood warning for Thames Valley tomorrow (Monday)
• Landslip site at Crewkerne open to trains at reduced speed
• Work progresses at Dawlish

Passengers in Oxford and the Thames Valley are advised to check before they travel tomorrow following flood warnings for the region.

Should the flooding take place, Network Rail expects it to affect the railway between Oxford and Didcot, with the possibility of disruption to the Henley and Marlow branch lines.

Engineers have been working trackside near Oxford removing sensitive equipment to prepare the railway for possible inundation.

Rail engineers have been out in difficult conditions across the south of the country today, repairing and monitoring the railway, while a good service has been in operation across the rest of the network.

Trains are now able to run through Crewkerne on the line from Yeovil to Exeter, after a daylight inspection of the landslip site, however there will be disruption for the rest of the day due to stock and crews being out of position.

However, the routes to Exeter and Taunton from Bridgwater and Castle Cary are still under water from the flooded River Parrett and are being monitored by Network Rail engineers.

Meanwhile, work to protect the damaged sea wall site in Dawlish from the sea is going well in between high tides. A row of stone-filled shipping containers is growing in length to provide a breakwater, while concrete spraying has continued to protect the vulnerable sub-soil.

For information on travel times and up-to-the-minute disruption check with your operator or at www.nationalrail.co.uk