THE Dartmoor and Tarka railway lines through Crediton will stay closed “until further notice”, Network Rail has said.

No trains have been able to operate between Exeter and Okehampton or Exeter and Barnstaple since Tuesday, January 27 due to flooding from Storm Chandra.

Engineers have fixed damaged sections of track, but specialist dive teams cannot yet safely inspect bridges and viaducts as water levels are still too high and rivers flowing too fast.

Great Western Railway has said it expects disruption to last until the end of the day on Saturday, February 7.

Many passengers have expressed frustration at how limited replacement bus services have been, with only non-stop hourly return coach services between Exeter St Davids and Barnstaple and Exeter St Davids and Okehampton.

GWR has advised rail tickets can be used on 5, 5A, 5B, 5C, and 66 Stagecoach bus services.

“We’re really sorry for the continued disruption on these lines following Storm Chandra last week,” GWR Director of Performance and Train Service Delivery and Director of Network Rail Western Network Operations Daryn McCombe said.

"GWR and Network Rail teams have been working tirelessly to safely keep customers moving wherever possible.

“We've been able to fix the problems we can see, but it's really important to make sure that underwater structures remain sound and it's not safe for divers to enter the water yet.

"We're working with our weather forecasting teams and monitoring the river levels so that the divers can enter the water as soon as conditions allow.”

Flooding also forced the closure of the Tarka Line in November as three bridges had to be inspected for damage.

North Devon MP Ian Roome has launched a petition to call on Network Rail and GWR to make the Tarka Line more resilient to inclement weather.