Train services are running again between Yeovil Pen Mill and Weymouth on the Heart of Wessex Line after Network Rail spent the past nine days continuing its upgrade programme for the line.
Engineers worked around the clock to strengthen the embankments between Chetnole and Maiden Newton around the Evershot Tunnel. The team cut through soil and rock to stabilise the slope by using soil nails and netting.
This work will help protect the railway from landslips, which could cause longer closures as well as posing safety risks to our passengers.
Engineers took advantage of the closure to:
- Stress test the continuous welded rail to improve reliability, reducing the need for speed restrictions in hotter months.
- Carry out minor improvements to the track in the Thornford area following recent track renewal in September 2024.
- Manage vegetation by selecting dead, dying and diseased trees that could cause delays to the running of trains between Chetnole and Maiden Newton stations.
George Murrell, Wessex Route renewals director for Network Rail, said: “We would like to thank passengers for their patience over the past nine days as we continued our improvement programme for the Heart of Wessex Line.
“We know this line is of great importance to the communities it serves and these improvements will ensure a stronger and more resilient railway that connects the Dorset coast with Somerset.”
Image credit: Network Rail
