Tarka Line - Exeter to Barnstaple: services, facilities, incidents and events

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Due to flooding between Exeter St Davids and Crediton all lines are closed. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.
Train services between Exeter Central and Barnstaple via Exeter St Davids have been cancelled.

From GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) this morning ... answer to a query in public.

If your journey is essential, limited rail replacement services are now operating between Exeter St Davids and Barnstaple only, due to road conditions we are unable to serve intermediate stations. As this is so limited and due to the conditions of the roads, these will be roughly every 2 hours at approximately half past every even hour from Barnstaple (e.g. 10:30, 12:30). - this is a direct service to Exeter st David’s no stops

[grahame]

Public post, shared from Facebook

Dear Customer Relations Team,
I am writing regarding the current suspension of rail services between Barnstaple and Exeter due to infrastructure failure.

I have already paid for a valid ticket for travel on this route. However, there are currently no trains running and no rail replacement bus service being provided, which means there is no reasonable alternative public transport available on this rural line.

This journey is required for my child to attend school/college, and we live in a rural community with no viable alternative means of travel. As a result, despite holding a valid ticket, the journey has been made impossible due to the complete withdrawal of services.

I understand that infrastructure faults are outside the operator’s direct control. However, where no replacement transport is provided and the passenger is left without any reasonable way to travel, I would like to request that you either:
 • confirm approval for alternative transport (e.g. a taxi) to be arranged, or
 • confirm that reasonable alternative transport costs will be reimbursed, or
 • advise what immediate arrangements you can offer to enable this essential journey.
If alternative transport cannot be authorised, please also confirm the process for obtaining a full refund for the unused ticket.

I would appreciate a prompt response given the ongoing nature of this disruption and the impact on a child’s access to education.

Thank you for your time and assistance. I look forward to hearing from you

A case (IMHO^▸ ('in my humble opinion')) of the TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) contracting to provide a service, and taking payment for doing so, but the failing to deliver.  There WILL be occasions - flood, snow, etc, where there is no practical way to make the journey by any mode and there the lack of provision is understood.  But to abandon customers who rely on the services at smaller intermediate stations is - err - "unacceptable".  It may be that GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) have an answer / explanation, but that's not clear to me, nor does it seem to have been expressed to the author of the above letter-in-public.

[grahame]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page)

Rail lines damaged in south-west England during a storm will remain closed "until further notice".
Network Rail and Great Western Railway (GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)) said engineers had been working on lines serving Exeter St Davids to Barnstaple, Exeter St Davids to Okehampton and Liskeard to Looe after Storm Chandra damaged tracks.

They said visible damage had been repaired, but specialist dive teams who needed to check submerged structures were unable to go out as water was still too high and flowing too fast for safe inspections.

Network Rail and GWR added bus or coach replacement services had been set up and apologised for any inconvenience caused. Further updates would be available on GWR's website, they added.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Petition for rail investment handed to Parliament

[Image from here is not available to guests]
The Tarka^▸ (Branch line from Barnstaple to Exeter) Line remains closed after Storm Chandra brought heavy rain last month

A petition calling for investment in a railway line that has been closed since extreme weather damaged tracks has been presented to Parliament.

Ian Roome, the Liberal Democrat MP^▸ (Member of Parliament, or Mile Post (a method of measuring the railway in miles and chains from a starting point - usually London), depending on context) for North Devon, presented the petition signed by more than 3,000 people calling for action to improve the Tarka Line, which links Barnstaple with Exeter.

Problems on the line included repeated flooding and cancellations - it is currently closed "until further notice" after Storm Chandra brought heavy rain last month. Great Western Railway (GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)) said the line was "at capacity". A Network Rail spokesperson said it had carried out £19m worth of upgrades to the line, but said there was more to be done.

Roome told MPs passengers had "suffered overcrowding and repeated service disruption due to flooding despite a record-breaking one million rail journeys".

"Following Storm Chandra all trains have been cancelled. North Devon's rail link has been shut for over a week and will not resume for several more days," he said. "The petitioners request that the House of Commons urge the government to ask Network Rail and Great Western Railway to prioritise the Tarka Line for improvements and to work together to make rail travel in north Devon more resilient."

He urged residents affected by disruption to continue sharing their experiences to strengthen the case for investment. "Demand for the service has continually grown and it's one of the busiest branch lines anywhere in the South West - it's a lifeline for commuters getting to work, students travelling to college, people attending appointments," he said.

North Devon Council's deputy leader Peter Leaver said the authority was working closely with operators and partners to improve reliability, but it was "increasingly clear" major investment was needed to keep up with demand and make the line more resilient in extreme weather. "That's why this petition really matters, and we hope it builds on the case we've been making for investment."

Tim Steer, the Devon and Cornwall chairman of campaigning group Railfuture, said those relying on the line to get to work, school or health appointments were being "thrown into chaos".  "Prolonged disruption is thwarting the continued success of the line," he added.

[Image from here is not available to guests]
Network Rail and GWR said engineers had been "working tirelessly" to fix the issues

Network Rail said upgrades over the last decade included 7.4 miles (12km) of track renewal, bridge replacements, and improvements to the drainage. "Major flood resilience work was carried out at Cowley Junction, where we installed a flood defence barrier that can be deployed when heavy rain is expected," it said. "Prior to the installation of the barrier, we installed large flood drains in this area to allow water to safely drain underneath the railway. While this has improved the resilience of the line, we know that with the increasing frequency of severe weather, there's still more to be done." It said it was trialing new technology to monitor for potential scour damage to bridges and said more work would take place in the spring.

Great Western Railway (GWR) said capacity issues on the line tended to occur at the start of the academic year but it hoped larger Class 175 trains would provide some respite in the short term. "Unfortunately, we can't run more trains because the branch line is at capacity, and we can't run longer trains at the moment because the platforms are not long enough, which is a really expensive solution we would need funding for," a spokesman said. "We are however supportive of campaigns to upgrade the infrastructure of the north Devon line."

[grahame]

Dear Graham

Further to our email on Wednesday (4th Feb), river conditions mean specialist diving teams have still been unable to inspect the required bridges on the Barnstaple/Okehampton lines due to water levels being too high and flowing at a dangerously fast speed.

Therefore, both lines remain closed, and we do not expect reopening until Tuesday 10th February at the very earliest. Rain continues to be forecast so this may yet extended later into next week.

A limited rail replacement service continues to run, however from Monday 9th February this will be amended due a planned closure of the A377 between Eggesford and Crediton. Minibuses/taxis will run from Exeter to Barnstaple to service intermediate stations, and coaches will run between Barnstaple and Exeter via the North Devon Link Road. This will add time to the existing rail replacement journey duration.

The Looe branch line also remains closed, with rail replacement services continuing to operate.

The very latest travel information is available at www.gwr.com/check and www.gwr.com/travel-information/travel-updates/live-network-updates

We will update you at the start of next week, and apologise for the ongoing disruption.

Best wishes

Tom & Heledd

[brooklea]

No trains to Barnstaple or Okehampton for at least another week

Due to flooding between Exeter St Davids and Crediton the line is closed. Disruption is expected until the end of the day on 16/02/26.
Train services between Exeter St Davids and Barnstaple have been suspended.
Customer Advice
-
What has happened?
-
Flooding brought on by Storm Chandra and subsequent rain on saturated ground has meant that the Exeter to Barnstaple line has been closed.
-
The flood water has not receded, and much of the surrounding area is under water. Further forecast rain means that the line will remain closed until the end of the day on Monday 16th February at the earliest.

[John D]

No trains to Barnstaple or Okehampton for at least another week

Due to flooding between Exeter St Davids and Crediton the line is closed. Disruption is expected until the end of the day on 16/02/26.
Train services between Exeter St Davids and Barnstaple have been suspended.
Customer Advice
-
What has happened?
-
Flooding brought on by Storm Chandra and subsequent rain on saturated ground has meant that the Exeter to Barnstaple line has been closed.
-
The flood water has not receded, and much of the surrounding area is under water. Further forecast rain means that the line will remain closed until the end of the day on Monday 16th February at the earliest.

Also extended the Looe branch close to end of Monday 16th at earliest

All these 3 were showing until end of Monday 9th early yesterday evening, and not clear why they waited until early Monday to realise needed 7 extra days. 

This isn't a very customer friendly way of doing updates, waiting until last day of closure to update info.

[grahame]

Oh dear ...

at least they have added "at the earliest" into the detailed text.   But, agreed, it is not clever passenger information to leave it until the last minute to give the bad news of a delay in re-opening.   

I wonder - realistically - if and when we'll next see passenger trains at all three of Looe, Okehampton and Barnstaple

[TonyK]

Oh dear ...

at least they have added "at the earliest" into the detailed text.   But, agreed, it is not clever passenger information to leave it until the last minute to give the bad news of a delay in re-opening.   

I wonder - realistically - if and when we'll next see passenger trains at all three of Looe, Okehampton and Barnstaple

A bit of improved weather would help, but there's no sign of it in the next few days.

If it keeps on raining, the levee's going to break.

[brooklea]

Oh dear ...

at least they have added "at the earliest" into the detailed text.   But, agreed, it is not clever passenger information to leave it until the last minute to give the bad news of a delay in re-opening.   

I wonder - realistically - if and when we'll next see passenger trains at all three of Looe, Okehampton and Barnstaple

Reopening on “16th February at the earliest” turns out to mean February 12th for the Okehampton line - the 09:25 from Okehampton being the first passenger train to run out of the town since the storm-enforced closure.

Just (!) the Barnstaple and Looe branches to get reopened now….