The weather is too dry, according to a train company which has cancelled services.
South Western Railway (SWR) has said it has been forced to halve the number of trains travelling from London Waterloo to Exeter St Davids from August 11 due to the “driest conditions for around 200 years”.
The speed limit between Gillingham, Dorset and Axminster, Devon are to be reduced due to dry conditions drying out the tracks between the two towns and shrinking the clay soil embankments which support them.
Trains between London Waterloo and Exeter St Davids will run every two hours rather than hourly due to the problem, known as a “moisture soil deficit”.
It also means trains between Waterloo and Yeovil Junction will be delayed by 25 minutes.
The railway company has given no indication as to when the restrictions will be lifted, and further dry weather could lead to further delays and restrictions.
A spokesman for SWR said: “Because track levels have been disturbed, our trains cannot travel safely at their normal speeds.
“Our amended timetables have been designed to provide customers with a reliable service until the speed restrictions can be removed.”
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South Western Railway (SWR) has said the timetable changes are due to the ‘driest conditions for around 200 years’
The company stated that when soil moisture levels begin to increase, and the ground therefore begins to rehydrate, engineers will be able to stabilise the embankments and restore track levels.
Last month, rail services were disrupted between Ely in Cambridgeshire and King’s Lynn in Norfolk because peat soil under the lune shrunk, causing the track to drop and become uneven.
Like SWR, Network Rail blamed the problem on “the driest spring in more than 50 years”.
In June, passengers travelling between London and Brighton faced delays due to hot weather.
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Trains from Waterloo Station will be affected by the changes
Network Rail said blanket speed restrictions and a revised timetable were due to soaring temperatures make the track temperature reach 50C.
However, it is not just hot and dry weather which is set to affect rail travel this summer.
The restrictions come as Britain prepares to face travel chaos on Monday due to Storm Floris bringing powerful winds and rain.
National Rail warned delays and cancellations across railways could be seen as high winds topple trees and damage power lines.
As a result of the forecast, LNER warned passengers not to travel north of Newcastle.
Avanti West Coast said it expects its Scottish-English routes to be “heavily affected” by the storm, and advised passengers not to travel north of Preston on Monday.
Storm Floris has led the Met Office to issue an amber “danger to life” warning for wind in parts of Scotland, with gusts of up to 90mph possible.
Forecasters are warning of “unusually strong” winds which could close roads and damage buildings as part of the alert which is in force from 10am until 10pm.
