We completed essential maintenance over five days in February to help maintain the reliability of the railway between Dorchester West and Castle Cary
Over a five-day line closure from Monday 15 to Friday 19 February, engineers completed a series of improvements including:
- Rescaling of a railway cutting near Yeovil Pen Mill station to improve stability, also removing over 200 tonnes of debris
- Installing remote condition monitoring equipment and cameras to monitor the cutting’s stability
- Track refurbishments at Yeovil Pen Mill station, including the replacement of more than 170 sleepers to provide stronger track and smoother journeys
- Replacement of 250m of lineside fencing to improve track safety
- Structural examinations and drainage surveys to monitor the condition of vital infrastructure
All these improvements mean the line from Weymouth to Bristol, also known as the ‘Heart of Wessex’ line, is more resilient and the railway is more reliable for Great Western Railway (GWR) services.
Future work
There are further improvements planned for the line in 2021.
Over the late May Bank Holiday, Saturday 29 to Monday 31 May 2021, engineers will be replacing 800 yards of track in the Chetnole area.
Then, between Friday 19 November and Saturday 4 December 2021, around two miles of new rails will be installed between Dorchester West and Maiden Newton, while between Maiden Newton and Yetminster, two stretches of track totalling around two miles will be replaced.
Further information will be provided soon, so please check back.
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