From the
Western Daily Press:
Railway line to shut for flood resilience work
Flooding on the railway line on the Somerset LevelsThe railway line between Castle Cary and Taunton will be closed for ten days from tomorrow as Network Rail carries out the first phase of flood resilience work on the Somerset Levels, which is expected to have a final cost of ^25 million.
The line between the two towns was among several routes hit by last winter's floods. The closure will allow Network Rail to carry out 200 hours of track renewal. The work will include protecting signalling equipment from the effects of severe weather, which Network Rail says was one of the hidden factors that caused problems.
The section of line is on the London-Penzance route, operated by First Great Western. The company is encouraging customers planning to travel between the two stations to check journey times and routes.
Rail services will operate between London Paddington and Castle Cary, and between Taunton and Penzance. London Paddington/Penzance services that would normally pass through the affected area will be diverted via Bristol, and run non-stop between Taunton and Reading, extending journey times by 30 minutes.
A Network Rail spokesman said: "This is a critical route which was badly affected by the floods of last February, and throughout this year we are concentrating on flood defences and resilience across the South West."
Further work which will form part of the ^25 million package includes culvert and drain clearance and the construction of flood protection earth banks.
The news was welcomed by David Redgewell of the watchdog South West Transport Network. "It's excellent investment in Somerset and will hopefully prevent the line being closed again," he said.
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