BRANCH lines, including Exeter St David’s to Barnstaple and Okehampton, look set to remain closed for several days after storms have battered the region.

Great Western Railway (GWR) said: “Following Storm Chandra we've seen significant flooding across our rail network, with further inclement weather expected, we do anticipate continuing disruption:

“Exeter St David’s to Barnstaple and Okehampton remains closed and not expected to re-open until the weekend.

“Multiple sites have flooded with expected damage to the rail line. We are advising customers not to travel as we are unable to run replacement buses currently.

“Ticket acceptance has been agreed on service 5/A/B/C, but journey opportunities are limited on local bus services north of Crediton and only the 5B has been able to run on diversion today due to closures on the A377.”

In addition Exeter St David’s - Tiverton Parkway - Taunton - Castle Cary (mainline to London and Bristol) is currently closed due to significant flooding. This is expected to carry on until at least today. There is limited bus replacement in operation, but only travel if absolutely necessary.

Network Rail and GWR are advising passengers in Devon and Cornwall that heavy flooding will affect train travel in the region for several days.

Back-to-back storms brought persistent heavy rain and widespread flooding across the region, forcing the closure of several rail lines.

They advise to not attempt to travel on the following routes:

• Exeter St David’s to Barnstaple

• Exeter St David’s to Okehampton (via Crediton)

• Liskeard to Looe

• Par to Newquay.

Poor road conditions mean bus replacement services cannot be provided on these routes at this stage.

Should conditions improve, replacement bus services will be provided where possible.

These branch lines are likely to remain closed for several days and no rail services will operate.

Customers are advised to only travel if necessary between Taunton and Exeter St David’s, with trains unable to run and limited replacement buses in operation.

The section of line between Taunton and Exeter St David’s will be closed until at least Wednesday, January 28 due to deep, fast-moving floodwater at Hele.

As the roads in the area are also flooded, journeys on replacement transport may take longer than usual.

Due to emergency engineering work the route between Exeter St David’s and Newton Abbot will close from 7pm on Wednesday, January 28 to 7am on Thursday, January 28.

This follows the discovery of a large sinkhole measuring 8m x 3.5m near the railway between Dawlish and Teignmouth in the wake of Storm Ingrid.

Services will continue to run between London and Taunton/Exeter St David’s, and Newton Abbot and Penzance.

Buses will run between Taunton/Exeter St David’s and Newton Abbot, and between Taunton/Exeter St David’s and Plymouth and Tiverton Parkway.

The Night Riviera Sleeper service will not run in either direction between Paddington and Penzance on Wednesday evening, resuming on Thursday, January 29.

Marcus Jones, Network Rail’s Western route director, said: “Intense rainfall over the past few days has caused significant flooding across parts of Devon and Cornwall, and we’ve had to close four branch lines in the region as a result. Flooding in the Hele area of Devon means the main line between Taunton and Exeter St David’s is also closed. We’re really sorry for the disruption this is causing for passengers.

“Our teams are on the ground around the clock, working as quickly as we safely can to assess the impact of the flooding. Once the water recedes, we’ll need to carry out safety inspections before the lines can reopen.

“Given the scale of the flooding, disruption is expected for the next few days on the branch lines. Our teams will prioritise reopening the main line between Taunton and Exeter St David’s as soon as they are able to do so. Please continue to check before travelling for the latest updates.”

TRAVEL ADVICE

Online journey planners are being updated so check your journey before you attempt to travel at www.gwr.com , where you can see full information on all lines affected and details on replacement transport where provided. Limited replacement bus services, and ticket acceptance on local bus routes, is in place on some routes, but buses are expected to be in demand.

Rail tickets for travel on Tuesday, January 27 can be used to travel up to and including Thursday, January 29, or you can claim a full refund at https://gwr.com/help-and-support/refunds-and-compensation

Once flood waters recede, inspections of the railway infrastructure will need to be carried out before the lines can safely reopen. Network Rail engineers will prioritise reopening the main line as quickly as possible.