Rail journeys to be affected by engineering works in the Dorchester area
Great Western Railway services will be affected by rail improvement work taking place between Somerset and Dorset later this week.
Network Rail will replace track on the Heart of Wessex line this autumn, and train services will be impacted between Dorchester and Weymouth on Sunday 22 September:
- GWR trains will still run between Dorchester West and Westbury, continuing onto Bristol Temple Meads
- Replacement buses are planned between Yeovil Pen Mill and Upwey or Weymouth only
- Buses are also planned to replace SWR trains at Dorchester South station between Wareham and Weymouth
Trains will then be impacted between Dorchester West and Castle Cary from Monday 23 to Sunday 29 September:
- GWR trains will still run between Castle Cary and Westbury, continuing onto Bristol Temple Meads
- Replacement buses are planned between Castle Cary and Weymouth – stopping at all stations
- SWR trains at Dorchester South station will be unaffected between London Waterloo and Weymouth
Jordan Welsby, GWR Station Manager for Westbury, Wiltshire and Dorset, said:
"This improvement work forms part of an ongoing programme of maintenance, helping to ensure we can continue to provide consistent and reliable services.
"GWR will provide rail replacement services between Yeovil Pen Mill and Weymouth on Sunday 22 September, then between Castle Cary and Weymouth until Sunday 29 September.
"As an alternative, customers can also travel between Westbury and Weymouth using SWR services via Southampton Central from Monday 23 to Friday 27 September.
"However, please note that buses replace all trains via Southampton Central on the weekend of 28/29 September so this alternative will not be an option.
"It’s important customers understand these alternative arrangements will make their normal journey times longer, so do please check before you travel."
Chris Bailey, Network Rail Project Manager, said:
"The track we are replacing is over fifty years old and prone to defects and faults.
"This essential engineering work will improve the railway between Weymouth and Castle Cary, allowing passengers to enjoy smoother and more reliable journeys.
"Longer closures such as this one, allow us to best manage our resources to ensure a railway passengers can benefit from and this prevents the line from being closed for multiple weekends at a time.
"We apologise for the disruption this week-long closure will bring to passengers in Somerset and Dorset."
Further work will impact train services on this route on the weekend of 2/3 November.
For the latest information, visit GWR.com/Wessex.
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Notes to editors
First Greater Western Limited, trading as “Great Western Railway” (GWR), operates trains across the Great Western franchise area, which includes South Wales, the West Country, the Cotswolds, across southern England and into London. GWR provides high speed, commuter, regional and branch line train services and helps more than 80 million passengers reach their destination every year. GWR has been awarded a National Rail Contract to operate the Great Western network: https://www.gwr.com/about-us