River Plym railway bridge repair: Buses replace trains between Tiverton Parkway / Totnes and Plymouth from Saturday 21 February to Sunday 8 March 

Route(s) affected

CrossCountry between Aberdeen / Dundee / Edinburgh / Newcastle / York / Leeds / Derby / Birmingham New Street / Bristol Temple Meads and Plymouth, and between Glasgow Central / Edinburgh / Birmingham New Street / Gloucester / Bristol Temple Meads and Penzance

Great Western Railway between London Paddington / Cardiff Central / Bristol Temple Meads / Exeter St Davids and Plymouth, and between London Paddington / Cardiff Central / Bristol Temple Meads / Exeter St Davids and Penzance

Description

Engineering work is taking place between Totnes and Plymouth, closing all lines. More information on the work can be found in Background Information below.

No trains will run between Totnes and Plymouth.

CrossCountry:

Buses will replace trains between Tiverton Parkway and Plymouth.

On Saturday 21 February, the 05:02 Plymouth to Edinburgh service will run as normal.

Great Western Railway:

Replacement buses will run between:

• Tiverton Parkway and Plymouth

• Totnes and Plymouth (some buses will call at Ivybridge)

Background information:

River Plym railway bridge near Plymouth carries the railway between Totnes and Plymouth. The railway line will be closed for 16-days whilst Network Rail strengthen the 50-metre long bridge to make sure it remains safe for decades to come. Trains that use the bridge are now faster, heavier and more frequent than in the past. If no work is done, it increases the risk of a fault developing in the near future.

134 steel rail bearers will be installed between the existing cross-beams on the bridge. New durable synthetic wood rail bearers will also be laid along the length of the bridge. 180 metres of track will be replaced over, and either side, of the bridge and the bridge will also be repainted.

Full project information, and details of additional work taking place during the line closure, is available on the Network Rail website.

Check before you travel:

You can plan your journey using the National Rail Enquiries Journey Planner

Replacement bus travel advice:

For helpful advice if you need to travel on a rail replacement service, including accessibility and bicycle information, please use our Rail Replacement Services page.

You can find the pick-up and set-down location of rail replacement services by checking station signage or by searching for your station on our Find a Station page.

Please be advised that replacement vehicles may be busier than usual, and you should allow extra time for your journey.