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Monday 19 Jan 2026

Train services resume following landslip repairs in Axminster and Lymington

Region & Route:

Southern: Wessex

| Southern

Network Rail engineers worked throughout the weekend to repair two landslips in the south west of England.

On Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 January, buses replaced trains between Crewkerne and Exeter St Davids in Devon, and between Brockenhurst and Lymington Pier in Hampshire, as engineers strengthened railway embankments.

In Axminster, engineers fixed a 20-metre stretch of embankment by building a retaining wall using large interlocking rocks, known as rock armour, at its base. This acts as a protective barrier, holding the slope in place and stopping the earth from moving any further.

The repair required 1,600 tonnes of stone to be transported from Poole to Axminster. Moving the material by rail, rather than road, reduced carbon emissions by 88%, with rail freight around eight times cleaner than using lorries and able to carry significantly larger volumes in a single journey.

This week, commencing 19 January, engineers will monitor the site for safety with trains running over the impacted area at 5mph with a normal timetable in operation. Once it is determined that it is safe to run services through the area at line speed, the restriction will be lifted.

Meanwhile, on the Lymington Branch Line to the south of the New Forest, engineers carried out emergency works near Battramsley to stabilise a short section of track following a minor landslip.

Engineers installed a steel wall deep into the ground to support the embankment that the track is built on. These sheet piles will act as a solid barrier, holding the slope in place and stopping the earth from moving.

The closure gave engineers time to rebuild the supporting ground, replace the ballast that holds the track in place. These repairs are essential to restore the strength and stability of the railway.

An hourly train service will run between Brockenhurst and Lymington Pier today and tomorrow, 19 and 20 January, before a full service resumes once we are satisfied the track has been fully restored. Overnight tonight, a tamper will be running through the line, restoring the track to its correct alignment.

 Speaking on behalf of Network Rail and South Western Railway, Infrastructure Director, Tom McNamee: “I would like to thank our passengers for bearing with us while we carried out these emergency works.

“Safety is our number one priority and, while we tried to avoid closing the railway, the recent wet weather and Storm Goretti left us with no choice but to get our teams to come in and carry out these vital repairs.”