A major UK train operator is halving its services in response to prolonged hot and dry weather. South Western Railway (SWR) will reduce the number of trains running between Yeovil Junction and Exeter St Davids from August 10.
Clay soil shrinkage blamed
Disruption on the West of England line to London Waterloo is linked to clay soil shrinkage on rail embankments, which causes the tracks above them to buckle. A new timetable will see trains run every 30 minutes from Waterloo to Salisbury, alongside an hourly service to Yeovil Junction and services every other hour to Exeter St Davids.
Repeat of last year's cuts
Trains on the route were also cut between August and November last year due to issues caused by dry conditions. Lawrence Bowman, managing director of SWR and National Rail Wessex, said: "This is the second year in a row that prolonged hot, dry weather has affected our network. Since last summer's intervention, we've invested in strengthening the route, carried out extensive work to the track and embankments, and developed a plan that customers can rely on. As a result of that careful planning, we've managed to reduce journey times in our amended timetable by around 30 minutes compared to last year."
Frustration on social media
Social media commentators expressed frustration at the news, with one writing: "Instead of doing something about it, they make excuses." Another added: "South Western Railways are absolutely hopeless." It isn't the only railway line to scale back operations in response to the shrinkage, known as Soil Moisture Deficit (SMD). Timetable changes have already been announced on Great Northern services in Norfolk and Cambridgeshire and c2c and Greater Anglia services in Essex.
