Trains services resumed this morning (Monday 30 September) between Castle Cary and Weymouth following a week-long closure of the Heart of Wessex line for vital upgrades.
During the week-long closure, Network Rail’s team of engineers replaced around a mile’s worth of track between Thornford and Yeovil Pen Mill, including installing over 2,000 new sleepers and 3,600 tonnes of ballast stone.
The retired track was over 50 years old and needed frequent inspections and repairs by the maintenance team to keep passengers moving.
The line was also prone to faults and speed restrictions due to the rails being jointed together every 60 feet. The new track is ‘continuously welded rail’ which takes out the joints, meaning it requires fewer inspections and is less prone to faults.
Further south, engineers completed upgrades to the junctions either side of Maiden Newton station, where the two tracks that serve the platforms merge into one.
To maximise the time the line was closed, a range of other work was completed including inspecting the Poundbury and Grimstone tunnels, carrying out signalling and telecommunications testing, and cutting back carefully selected diseased and dangerous trees between Yeovil Pen Mill and Yeovil Junction station.
Mark Goodall, Network Rail’s Wessex route director, said: “I am delighted to see that these upgrade works to the Heart of Wessex Line have been completed successfully. I would like to pay tribute to everyone who has worked on the project to deliver a safe and upgraded railway for our passengers.
“We appreciate that week-long closures are disruptive, but these can be the most efficient way we can improve the reliability of the railway for our passengers, rather than closing the line for multiple weekends. We are, of course, grateful to passengers for their patience and understanding during this week-long closure.”
Jordan Welsby, GWR Station Manager for Westbury, Wiltshire and Dorset, said: “We are delighted to have train services operating again between Castle Cary and Weymouth on our Heart of Wessex line.
“This improvement work formed part of an ongoing programme of maintenance to ensure we can continue to provide consistent and reliable services.
“We would like to thank customers for bearing with us during the past week and apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused them.”
Maiden Newton Junction at night. Image credit: Network Rail.
Rail being installed. Image credit: Network Rail.