Trains blocked after another landslip on notorious Dawlish line

Passengers on the main railway line into Devon and Cornwall were delayed yesterday after a landslip on a notorious section of the line near Dawlish. Network Rail said a landslip at Dawlish was affecting passengers on the line between Exeter St Davids and Newton Abbot.

It was first reported just before 4pm on Friday, June 21, and initially Network Rail advised passengers on Great Western Railway and Cross Country that they expected issues until 7pm as the landslip was cleared and the rail lines were checked.

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Passengers reported on social media that they feared they would be left on trains for several hours without moving, right across Devon on Friday afternoon, but Network Rail managed to get the southbound line reopened by 5pm, with the northbound side reopening at just after 7pm.

The line at Dawlish was washed away in February 2014 by a storm, prompting huge issues for rail passengers further west into Devon and Cornwall. Network Rail spent £165 million building a new wall and a package of other measures there.

But further landslips have continued to plague the line since it reopened, and Friday afternoon’s landslip in the Teignmouth side of Dawlish prompted renewed calls for an alternative rail route to be constructed further inland.