A second branch line in south west England has no trains today because of unscheduled engineering work.

Trains between Exeter St Davids and Barnstaple have been replaced by ‘limited’ road transport, according to National Rail, while there will be no trains between Par and Newquay until after the weekend, because work to commission new signalling has overrun.

The problem on the Barnstaple line is rising flood water. Network Rail said remote monitoring equipment detected that water levels had reached the ‘closure markers’ at three bridges and viaducts on the line, including a bridge over the River Taw near Eggesford, and specialist divers have been checking the condition of the structures.

Trains are still running between Exeter and Crediton on their way to Okehampton, and some Okehampton services are making additional calls on request at Newton St Cyres.

The problem in Cornwall has existed for a while. Services had been due to be doubled on the Newquay line last May as part of the £56 million Mid Cornwall Metro project, but problems with new digital signalling have delayed the improvements, although a second platform at Newquay was completed in March and a new 400m passing loop has been laid at Tregoss, between St Columb Road and Roche.

The latest period of engineering work should have ended on 8 November, but Network Rail is not now expecting to reopen the Newquay route until 18 November, as signalling engineers continue safety checks.

Network Rail has apologised for both disruptions.

Network Rail’s industry programme director Bogdan Lupu said: ‘Signalling is the most complex work we undertake on the railway and unfortunately we need longer than planned to complete the required testing. Safety is always our number one priority and we can only reopen the railway when the signals have been thoroughly tested and are ready to use.

‘Passengers planning to travel between Newquay and Par are advised to plan their journeys in advance at GWR.com as replacement bus services will be in place, meaning journey times may be extended.’

It is not yet clear when trains to Barnstaple can be restored, because water levels will have to subside first.

There is better news for passengers in the region travelling between Exeter and Salisbury, where services were reduced to two-hourly during the summer because very dry weather had caused track foundations to subside, so that speed restrictions had to be imposed.

The full service will be restored on 29 November because ground conditions have improved, and South Western Railway is celebrating the return of hourly trains by reducing the cost of off-peak tickets between Salisbury and Exeter by a third from 29 November until 17 December. It is also offering 20,000 additional Advance tickets.

South Western Railway’s customer and commercial director Peter Williams said: ‘We want to thank our customers for their patience since the amended timetable was introduced in August.’

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