Thread by @NetworkRailWssx

An Emergency Speed Restriction is in place between #Tisbury and #Gillingham on the West of England line.

Later this week, @SW_Help will announce a temporary, revised timetable for services between #Salisbury, #Yeovil Junction and #Exeter St Davids.

Here's what's happening 🧵

The very hot and dry conditions of recent weeks has dried out the clay soil beneath the embankments between Tisbury and Gillingham 🌡️

When clay dries out, it shrinks. This is causing track defects, which means we cannot run trains at full speed 🚆

You can see in this photo that the level of the track has been disturbed because of the earth moving 🛤️

Vegetation by the line is also sucking up the remaining moisture in the embankment and causing more earth movements 🌳

It's a problem known as Soil Moisture Deficit.

Because the earth is still shrinking, we cannot make repairs right now. If we did, they wouldn't last very long, and we'd have to go in and repair it again, causing further disruption 👷

Unfortunately we need to wait for the shrinking to stop to make a proper repair ⚒️

Until then, trains between Tisbury and Gillingham will need to run at reduced speeds ⏱️

This means it's very hard to keep to the normal timetable and so @SW_Help will be announcing a temporary, revised timetable later this week 🗓️

It's likely that there will be a reduced number of services between Salisbury and Yeovil Junction, and Salisbury and Exeter St Davids, and journeys will take longer than usual 🚉

This is because trains have to wait to pass each other on this line in Gillingham and #Pinhoe ↔️

There is still some work to do before the timetable can be confirmed. The West of England Line is a difficult line to prepare timetables for, because of the single line sections and passing loops 🧑‍💻

Our colleagues at @SW_Help will confirm the timetable as soon as they can 🚄

We're very sorry for the disruption that the speed restriction and amended timetable will cause.

As soon as we know more about when we can make repairs, and revert back to the regular timetable, we will let you know.

Thank you for your patience 👍