Concern over bridges delays railway line reopening

Work to repair a railway line in south-west England following storm damage remains ongoing.

Passengers are being asked to check before travelling, with the Exeter St Davids to Barnstaple, Exeter St Davids to Okehampton and Liskeard to Looe lines still closed.

Chris Fuoco, of Network Rail, said expected wet weather later was likely to delay the reopening of the two branch lines from Exeter. He said the branch lines had flooded in 25 places, causing the foundation of the tracks to wash away and raising concerns about the stability of bridges.

A yellow rain warning is in place from 12:00 GMT on Monday to 09:00 on Tuesday in Devon and Cornwall - the third such warning in the past week.

Fuoco said repairs had been carried out to the tracks but bridges along the branch lines remained closed.

"We're seeing over the weekend the river levels have dropped [but] the speed of the water is still a problem," he said.

"For those structures to open, we've got to get specialist divers into the river to check the foundations.

"We expect the river levels to rise again and the flow to get faster, so that is going to delay us getting into the water.

"As soon as it's possible to get into the water, we will do so."

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