Thirty jobs start in Weymouth, Dorchester and Yeovil areas this week

Major engineering work is getting underway this week on and near the Heart of Wessex line.

Network Rail says its teams will work at eight sites on more than 30 different jobs in the Weymouth, Dorchester and Yeovil areas. The rail infrastructure owner and manager has advised passengers that the train services between Weymouth and Yeovil Pen Mill, Dorchester South and Wool will be affected until completion on 4 December.

Bus replacement services will be in place where necessary.

The main focus will be between Maiden Newton and Yetminster. There, over four miles of track will be replaced to improve reliability and provide smoother journeys.

Elsewhere, five days of maintenance between Weymouth, Dorchester South and Wool will take place to prevent speed restrictions being imposed and retain punctuality through Upwey.

Repairs will be carried out on Damer’s Road bridge in Dorchester and both Weymouth and Upwey stations will be repainted, cleaned and have improved paving installed.

Mark Killick, Network Rail’s Wessex route director, said: “We’re making major improvements to the railway between Weymouth, Yeovil Pen Mill and Wool to provide our passengers with better, more reliable journeys.

“Sixteen days is a long time to close the railway, but it is the best way to ensure all of our work between Weymouth and Yeovil Pen Mill is completed during one closure, rather than across multiple weekends, while causing the least amount of disruption possible.

“Within those sixteen days, we’re also closing the line from Weymouth to Dorchester South for five days when we’ll be carrying out important work to keep trains on time and reduce delays.

“We recommend that our passengers should plan ahead and check the latest journey information as some replacement bus journeys may take significantly longer.”

GWR Station Manager for Westbury, Wiltshire and Dorset James Wilcox, said: “We will continue to keep people moving, but I would encourage those who travel to check beforehand as departure times may be different to normal and journey times extended.

“This work is important to ensure we can continue to provide services between Somerset and Dorset that people can rely on and we thank customers for their patience during this time.

“We are also grateful that Network Rail agreed to move this planned engineering work from earlier in the year to a quieter period to help minimise any disruption to passengers.”

Christian Neill, SWR’s customer experience director, said: “The work Network Rail is carrying out will mean big improvements for our customers. Not just a more reliable and resilient service, but visible improvements which include repainting at two of our stations.

“Closing the railway for such a long time is never a decision taken lightly and I realise this will mean significant disruption for our customers. I’d like to remind anyone who’s traveling to plan ahead to see if their journey is affected as replacement buses will be in operation and journeys will take longer. I’d like to thank customers for their patience and understanding whilst these essential works are carried out.”

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