Dorset rail passengers are warned a section of railway will close for nine days so engineers can strengthen an embankment following a landslide.

The work is taking place at Templecombe in Somerset on the London Waterloo-Exeter line which passes through north Dorset and east Devon.

The work, from June 13-22, will mean there will be no South West Railway (SWR) services between Yeovil Junction, Sherborne and Gillingham.

Replacement bus services will be running and through train services will be diverted via Westbury and Yeovil Junction.

There will no direct services between London and Exeter with passengers having to change at Salisbury.

For the repair work at Templecombe, engineers will remove thousands of tonnes of material following a landslip in December 2019 that occurred following continued rainfall, and will strengthen the cutting with stone. A new retaining wall will also be built at the bottom of the slope to further protect the line from soil movement.

Mark Killick, Network Rail Wessex route director, said: “I want to apologise for the disruption this will cause to passengers who do need to travel.

“When the work is complete, two speed restrictions will be removed to provide improved journeys for passengers, as well as protecting the area from landslips in the future. I would urge people who do need to travel by rail, such as those who can’t work from home, to plan ahead and check before they travel.”

Details of the changes to train services:

Monday-Saturday

There are no direct trains from London to Exeter, you will need to change at Salisbury to continue your journey.

Trains will run every two hours between Salisbury and Exeter Central. These services will be diverted non-stop via Westbury and Castle Cary calling at Yeovil Junction, Crewkerne, Axminster and Honiton. A shuttle train will run every two hours between Salisbury and Gillingham calling at Tisbury.

Replacement buses will run every two hours between Gillingham and Yeovil Junction calling at Templecombe and Sherborne.

Currently on this line, rail replacement buses operate between Honiton and Exeter St David’s calling at all stations, Monday to Saturday. This will continue during the engineering works.

Sunday

Trains will run every two hours between London Waterloo and Exeter St David’s. These services will be diverted non-stop via Westbury and Castle Cary. West of Salisbury these trains will call at Yeovil Junction, Crewkerne, Axminster, Honiton, Cranbrook and Exeter Central.

A shuttle train will run every two hours between Salisbury and Gillingham calling at Tisbury. Replacement buses will run every two hours between Gillingham and Yeovil Junction calling at Templecombe and Sherborne.