Buses replacing trains during Plymouth bridge work

Rail passengers have been warned of disruption to services while work is carried out to repair part of a railway line in Plymouth.

Network Rail said work had been under way at the River Plym section since last September, with it scheduled to continue until August, and the main work on 180m (590ft) of track now taking place between 21 Feb and 8 March.

It said buses would replace trains between Totnes and Plymouth on 21 and 22 February, and Monday 2 March until Sunday 8 March.

From 23 February to 1 March, buses would replace trains between Exeter St Davids and Plymouth, it added.

Network Rail said work was needed to strengthen the 50m-long (164ft-long) bridge to make sure it remained safe, with track being be replaced over it and either side of the bridge, plus the bridge also being repainted.

It said trains were now faster, heavier and more frequent, and, if no work was done, it increased the risk of a fault developing in the near future.

It said 134 steel rail bearers would be installed between existing bridge crossbeams, and new rail bearers made of FFU, a synthetic wood which lasts longer than traditional timber, would also be laid along the length of the bridge.

Network Rail added it would need access to the bridge from the river to complete the project and would be installing a temporary dam.

Only half the river would be dammed at a time to ensure river flow was not interrupted and fish were not disturbed, project leaders said.

Consent had been given by the Marine Management Organisation and Environment Agency for thew work, they added.

Network Rail said it would be working on other parts of the railway while trains were not running.

It said it would resurface the Plymouth-bound platform at Totnes station, complete track and drainage maintenance, carry out vegetation management, replace rail near Newton Abbot, replace a track crossing near Ivybridge and complete surveys as part of preliminary work to upgrade the signalling system in the area.

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