Network Rail and Great Western Railway have confirmed that three branch lines in Devon and Cornwall will remain closed until further notice to allow for safety inspections following last week's storms.
Engineers completed work to repair visible damage to the track on stretches of the Barnstaple and Okehampton lines earlier this week. Specialist dive teams now need to inspect submerged structures along the routes – including bridges and viaducts – to make sure the water hasn’t caused any damage. However, the latest assessment has shown that the water is still too high and flowing too fast for divers to do this safely.
As a result, the following lines currently remain closed:
Exeter St Davids - Barnstaple
Exeter St Davids - Okehampton
Liskeard - Looe
A limited rail replacement bus service is in operation between Exeter St Davids and Okehampton, calling at Exeter St Davids and Okehampton only. There is also a limited hourly return coach service between Exeter St Davids and Barnstaple. Ticket acceptance is in place on some local bus services.
Bus replacement services are operating between Liskeard and Looe.
For the latest information and to check your journey visit: https://www.gwr.com/travel-information/travel-updates/check-your-journey
Daryn McCombe, director of performance and train service delivery for GWR and director of network operations at Network Rail’s Western route, said: “We’re really sorry for the continued disruption on these lines following Storm Chandra last week.
"GWR and Network Rail teams have been working tirelessly to safely keep customers moving wherever possible. We've been able to fix the problems we can see, but it's really important to make sure that underwater structures remain sound and it's not safe for divers to enter the water yet.
"We're working with our weather forecasting teams and monitoring the river levels so that the divers can enter the water as soon as conditions allow. Please continue to check gwr.com for the latest updates.”
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