Latest news with #StuartMeek
The Guardian
7 days ago
- Climate
- The Guardian
Rail services in parts of England are cut as tracks are disturbed by lack of moisture
Rail services in parts of southern England are being reduced because embankments have shrunk and disturbed the track after the sunniest spring in more than a century. Trains are unable to travel at full speed over embankments in Dorset and Devon that have contracted because of a lack of moisture in the soil. In the latest example of extreme weather affecting the UK's rail infrastructure, South Western Railway said it had no alternative but to reduce the number of trains running for a safe and reliable service. Journeys from London Waterloo to Exeter will take an hour longer, with trains running at 40mph instead of 85mph for sections of the route. This year has seen the second driest spring on record for England, with the least amount of rainfall since 1976. The lack of moisture has caused embankments to shrink on a 12-mile stretch of track between Gillingham in Dorset and Axminster in Devon. The speed restrictions on the single-track route means trains cannot pass at the usual times and places, and SWR said it had been forced to cut services from the schedule. The operator warned that dry conditions were likely to continue and that further speed restrictions could be needed. SWR's chief operating officer, Stuart Meek, said: 'We are very sorry for the disruption that customers will experience due to this change, as we know just how important the West of England line is to the communities it serves. 'We have not taken this decision lightly … However, to continue operating a safe and reliable service, we have no alternative but to introduce a reduced timetable. Network Rail's operations director, Tom Desmond, said: 'The safety of our customers is our number one priority, which is why we must impose these speed restrictions. We will regularly review conditions in order to restore the normal timetable as soon as possible.' Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion The changing climate has caused a number of problems for the railway in recent years, including the need to impose speed restrictions in extreme summer heat for fear of buckling rails. Train services were meanwhile cut back in Kent last year after the wettest winters on record also affected tracks and embankments. Network Rail is spending almost £3bn over the period 2024-29 to tackle the effects of climate change, having already increased its budget to maintain earthworks in the wake of the Stonehaven disaster, when heavy rain and poor drainage led to a landslip.
The Independent
7 days ago
- Climate
- The Independent
The unexpected reason this train company has slashed its services
Train services between London Waterloo and Devon have been halved by South Western Railway (SWR) due to unusually dry soil conditions along the route. SWR said it had "no alternative" but to cut the services. From 11 August, until further notice, there will be just one train every two hours between London Waterloo and Exeter St Davids, down from one per hour. One train per hour will operate from London Waterloo to Yeovil Junction, Somerset, with journey times extended by about 25 minutes. The disruption stems from a lack of moisture in clay soil embankments, which has disturbed track levels and made it unsafe for trains to operate at full speed. This follows England's second driest spring on record, with summer rainfall across the UK also registering just below average. SWR said that the parched conditions had caused embankments between Gillingham in Dorset and Axminster in Devon to shrink. This shrinkage has disturbed the overlying track, necessitating a speed limit reduction from 85mph to 40mph across a 12-mile section of the line. SWR warned that dry conditions are 'set to continue', so further speed restrictions 'may be required'. Attempting to stabilise the track now would 'only provide a short-lived fix as the soil continues to move', it added. SWR chief operating officer Stuart Meek said: 'We are very sorry for the disruption that customers will experience due to this change, as we know just how important the West of England line is to the communities it serves. 'We have not taken this decision lightly and we recognise the impact that it will have on customers west of Yeovil in particular. 'However, to continue operating a safe and reliable service, we have no alternative but to introduce a reduced timetable. 'We always aim to minimise disruption and so, together with our colleagues at Network Rail, we will carefully monitor train performance and work hard to give customers a service that they can rely on. 'We encourage customers to plan ahead via our website and allow extra time to complete their journeys.' Network Rail operations director Tom Desmond said: 'The safety of our customers is our number one priority, which is why we must impose these speed restrictions between Gillingham and Axminster. 'We want to give customers the longest notice possible of timetable changes, and following a comprehensive analysis of ground and track conditions, we know that we must make changes in the next two weeks. 'We have worked closely with our colleagues at South Western Railway to understand the impact of the speed restrictions, and we will regularly review conditions in order to restore the normal timetable as soon as possible.' The amended timetable will restore services to Crewkerne, Somerset which has been served by buses since 28 July because of dried out embankments.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Train services axed because of dry soil
A train timetable has been cut because soil along the route is too dry. South Western Railway (SWR) said it has 'no alternative' but to run reduced services from London Waterloo to Devon. This is because a lack of moisture in clay soil embankments has disturbed track levels, preventing trains from safely travelling at full speed. This year saw the second driest spring on record for England, while summer rainfall has been just below average across the UK. SWR said the dry conditions have removed moisture from embankments between Gillingham in Dorset and Axminster in Devon, causing them to shrink. This has disturbed the track sitting above these embankments, so the speed limit for trains on a 12-mile stretch has been cut from 85mph to 40mph. From August 11 until further notice there will only be one train every two hours from London Waterloo to Exeter St Davids, Devon – reduced from one per hour – which will take approximately one hour longer than usual. One train per hour will operate from London Waterloo to Yeovil Junction, Somerset, with journey times extended by around 25 minutes. SWR warned that dry conditions are 'set to continue', so further speed restrictions 'may be required'. Attempting to stabilise the track now would 'only provide a short-lived fix as the soil continues to move', it added. SWR chief operating officer Stuart Meek said: 'We are very sorry for the disruption that customers will experience due to this change, as we know just how important the West of England line is to the communities it serves. 'We have not taken this decision lightly and we recognise the impact that it will have on customers west of Yeovil in particular. 'However, to continue operating a safe and reliable service, we have no alternative but to introduce a reduced timetable. 'We always aim to minimise disruption and so, together with our colleagues at Network Rail, we will carefully monitor train performance and work hard to give customers a service that they can rely on. 'We encourage customers to plan ahead via our website and allow extra time to complete their journeys.' Network Rail operations director Tom Desmond said: 'The safety of our customers is our number one priority, which is why we must impose these speed restrictions between Gillingham and Axminster. 'We want to give customers the longest notice possible of timetable changes, and following a comprehensive analysis of ground and track conditions, we know that we must make changes in the next two weeks. 'We have worked closely with our colleagues at South Western Railway to understand the impact of the speed restrictions, and we will regularly review conditions in order to restore the normal timetable as soon as possible.' The amended timetable will restore services to Crewkerne, Somerset which has been served by buses since July 28 because of dried out embankments. SWR became the first operator brought into public ownership by the Labour Government in May.
The Independent
7 days ago
- Climate
- The Independent
Train services axed because of dry soil
A train timetable has been cut because soil along the route is too dry. South Western Railway (SWR) said it has 'no alternative' but to run reduced services from London Waterloo to Devon. This is because a lack of moisture in clay soil embankments has disturbed track levels, preventing trains from safely travelling at full speed. This year saw the second driest spring on record for England, while summer rainfall has been just below average across the UK. SWR said the dry conditions have removed moisture from embankments between Gillingham in Dorset and Axminster in Devon, causing them to shrink. This has disturbed the track sitting above these embankments, so the speed limit for trains on a 12-mile stretch has been cut from 85mph to 40mph. From August 11 until further notice there will only be one train every two hours from London Waterloo to Exeter St Davids, Devon – reduced from one per hour – which will take approximately one hour longer than usual. One train per hour will operate from London Waterloo to Yeovil Junction, Somerset, with journey times extended by around 25 minutes. SWR warned that dry conditions are 'set to continue', so further speed restrictions 'may be required'. Attempting to stabilise the track now would 'only provide a short-lived fix as the soil continues to move', it added. SWR chief operating officer Stuart Meek said: 'We are very sorry for the disruption that customers will experience due to this change, as we know just how important the West of England line is to the communities it serves. 'We have not taken this decision lightly and we recognise the impact that it will have on customers west of Yeovil in particular. 'However, to continue operating a safe and reliable service, we have no alternative but to introduce a reduced timetable. 'We always aim to minimise disruption and so, together with our colleagues at Network Rail, we will carefully monitor train performance and work hard to give customers a service that they can rely on. 'We encourage customers to plan ahead via our website and allow extra time to complete their journeys.' Network Rail operations director Tom Desmond said: 'The safety of our customers is our number one priority, which is why we must impose these speed restrictions between Gillingham and Axminster. 'We want to give customers the longest notice possible of timetable changes, and following a comprehensive analysis of ground and track conditions, we know that we must make changes in the next two weeks. 'We have worked closely with our colleagues at South Western Railway to understand the impact of the speed restrictions, and we will regularly review conditions in order to restore the normal timetable as soon as possible.' The amended timetable will restore services to Crewkerne, Somerset which has been served by buses since July 28 because of dried out embankments. SWR became the first operator brought into public ownership by the Labour Government in May.
BBC News
01-08-2025
- Climate
- BBC News
SWR announces train timetable changes due to hot weather
Railway services between London Waterloo and Exeter St Davids are being reduced following dry weather. South Western Railway (SWR) trains between the stations will run once every two hours, reduced from once per hour, from 11 August until further soil has disturbed the tracks, which means - instead of travelling at a maximum of 85mph - trains will travel at 40mph for safety reasons, which will increase the journey time by one hour, SWR Meek, SWR's chief operating officer, said: "We have not taken this decision lightly and we recognise the impact that it will have on customers." The service passes through Hampshire, Wiltshire and Somerset before stopping in Exeter, to the Met Office, this year's spring was the UK's warmest on record and saw the least amount of rain since 1976. Continuing into summer, the dry conditions removed moisture in clay soil embankments between Gillingham in Dorset and Axminster in Devon, causing them to shrink. Track which sits above these embankments has been disturbed, so speed restrictions are being imposed for the safety of passing trains, SWR soil moisture levels improve and the ground begins to rehydrate and settle, engineers will carry out repairs to stabilise the embankments and restore track levels, allowing the normal timetable to return.A similar issue caused disruption to the track in Somerset earlier this week and meant Crewkerne has been served by buses instead of trains since Monday. But SWR said the upcoming amended timetable would restore railway services to the Desmond, operations director for Network Rail, added: "The safety of our customers is our number one priority, which is why we must impose these speed restrictions between Gillingham and Axminster."
