Media centre

Tuesday 22 Jul 2025

Plan ahead – buses to serve Crewkerne station from Monday 28 July due to dried out railway embankments

Region & Route:

Southern: Wessex

| Southern

• South Western Railway services between London Waterloo and Exeter St Davids will not call at Crewkerne from Monday 28 July, until further notice
• Rail replacement bus services will operate between Yeovil Junction and Axminster in both directions, calling at Crewkerne
• Dried out railway embankments west of Salisbury mean further changes to trains on the West of England Line are likely over the summer
• Customers are advised to plan ahead and regularly check for updates

SOUTH Western Railway (SWR) services between London Waterloo and Exeter St Davids will not call at Crewkerne from Monday 28 July until further notice.

Following the region’s driest spring since 1836 and a prolonged dry spell continuing into the summer, which is forecasted to be the driest for 200 years, clay embankments between Salisbury and Axminster have dried out and shrunk. The condition known as ‘soil moisture deficit’ has disturbed the levels of the tracks above, meaning  trains cannot travel safely at their normal speeds.

A temporary speed restriction of 40mph will be implemented over four miles in the Crewkerne area and, due to the impact of slower running trains on the wider West of England Line timetable, trains will not call at Crewkerne station.

Train services between London Waterloo and Exeter St Davids will otherwise continue to run as per SWR’s regular timetable. However, Crewkerne station will only be served by a rail replacement bus service, connecting to Yeovil Junction and Axminster.

Buses will connect with arriving trains at Yeovil Junction and Axminster, with journeys taking approximately 30 minutes in both directions. Customers are advised to allow extra time to complete their journeys.

As hot and dry conditions are expected to continue, SWR and Network Rail are warning that  additional speed restrictions and further timetable amendments on the West of England Line are likely to be necessary over the summer.

SWR and Network Rail continue to monitor soil moisture levels, track conditions, and train performance, and will provide updates as soon as possible.

Customers are advised to plan ahead and regularly check the SWR website.

Speaking on behalf of Network Rail and South Western Railway, Tom McNamee, Network Rail’s Wessex Route Infrastructure Director, said: “We are very sorry for the disruption that customers travelling to and from Crewkerne will experience from Monday 28 July. The hot and dry conditions being felt across the south of England has disturbed track near Crewkerne, and it cannot be fixed until the conditions change. As a result, we have had to introduce a severe speed restriction.

“We have carefully studied the impact and, unfortunately, it will not be possible to operate a safe and reliable timetable while calling at Crewkerne. Regular customers will know that repeated delays in this area have a cumulative effect, and without changes, they can lead to widespread cancellations and large gaps between services, from London to Exeter.

“We are monitoring soil moisture levels across the Southern Region and the indications are that more timetable changes will have to follow on the West of England Line. We will continue to carefully monitor and give customers as much notice as possible.”