Relief for Exeter commuters as Waterloo line returns to normal

Train services between Exeter St Davids and London Waterloo are set to return to normal from Saturday, 29 November, bringing relief to commuters, students, and travellers across Devon after months of reduced services on the West of England Line.

South Western Railway (SWR) and Network Rail have confirmed that the full hourly timetable will be reinstated, restoring direct services between Exeter and London to their regular journey times.

The disruption, which began in August, followed one of the driest springs on record, leading to significant damage to clay embankments between Axminster and Gillingham. 

The drought caused the soil to shrink (a condition known as Soil Moisture Deficit) forcing engineers to impose speed restrictions across large stretches of track. 

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As much of the route between Salisbury and Exeter St Davids is single track, the reduced speeds meant trains could not pass each other in their usual locations, resulting in widespread timetable changes and delays.

Tom Desmond, Network Rail’s Wessex Route Operations Director, said: “We know just how important this line is to its local communities, with customers relying on it to reach work, schools and colleges. We are very grateful to our customers for their continued patience and would like to sincerely apologise for the disruption they have experienced since August.”

With autumn rain helping to stabilise the embankments, engineers are now able to complete full track repairs and remove the speed restrictions that have slowed services for months.

Bruce Duncan, Chair of the Salisbury-Exeter Rail User Group, welcomed the restoration of the full timetable: “After a very challenging few months for students, commuters and leisure travellers using SWR’s services between Salisbury and Exeter, we are absolutely delighted the hourly timetable will be restored.” 

“The SWR and Network Rail teams have worked hard to remedy the issues, and we look forward to long-term plans to mitigate the ongoing impacts of climate change.”

Exeter MP, Steve Race, also said the news would come as a huge relief for local residents who depend on the line for work, study and leisure: “Residents who rely on the Waterloo line to get in and out of Exeter and towns in East Devon will be very relieved that the frequency of services will be back to normal by November.”

“From students needing to get to school and college, to people needing to get to work and to come into Exeter to socialise, the reduction in services will have had an impact over the last few months.”

Adding to this, Steve said: “As climate change brings more extreme weather — droughts followed quickly by heavy rainfall and more regular and extreme storms — in our region, we need to ensure that our infrastructure is resilient enough to withstand the extra stress that it will endure. I’ve been speaking to the Transport Secretary about what more we can do to make sure public transport is fit for the future in Exeter and beyond.”

The full timetable restoration marks a major step forward for the region’s rail network, which plays a vital role in connecting Exeter to London and the wider South West.

Passengers can now check updated timetables online, with full services resuming from Saturday, 29 November.