Stagecoach discount buses affected by Dawlish closure
Stagecoach Bus confirmed today a package of measures to help communities affected by the closure of the storm-damaged railway line at Dawlish in Devon.
Around 80m of sea wall was destroyed by high tides and storms last week, causing a significant stretch of railway to collapse into the sea.
Work is underway to repair the sea-wall, but Network Rail estimates that the damage means the line between Exeter St David’s and Newton Abbot will not re-open until mid-March at the earliest.
Stagecoach, which operates around 330 buses across the south-west of England, is discounting single and return fares on key routes in Devon by up to 50%, to help mitigate the disruption caused by the line closure.
Michael Watson, Managing Director of Stagecoach South West, said: "Communities in the south-west are facing a daily struggle against the impact of some of the most severe and relentless weather conditions we've ever seen.
"Transport is absolutely vital to our region to get people to work and ensure they can get on as best they can with their daily lives. At times like this it's important we all pull together."
The reduced fares will be available from today on its Hop2, Hop11 and B bus services, for all stops along the Coast between Starcross and Newton Abbot.
The company is also further extending the travel zones covered by its multi-journey tickets to include areas affected by rail disruption. The zone for its Torbay Dayrider and Megarider tickets is being expanded to include journeys between Teignmouth, Newton Abbot and Torquay.
It follows last week’s announcement by Stagecoach that it was extending the coverage of its 'Exeter Plus’ Dayrider and Megarider zone to include Dawlish.
The bus company will also be accepting First Great Western rail tickets on its bus journeys between Exeter and Newton Abbot while rail services remain disrupted.
The move has been welcomed by several local politicians who have been calling for extra support for Devon’s transport system since the line was destroyed.
Anne Maris Morris, Member of Parliament for Newton Abbot, commented “Minimising the disruption for the travelling public both practically and financially is crucial while we put in place a more resilient railway line at Dawlish.
“I welcome this announcement from Stagecoach about further fare reductions and rail tickets being accepted on buses which will remain in place until the train line is up and running again."
Emma Kay, Town Centre Development Manager for Dawlish and Teignmouth, added: “We are delighted to hear that Stagecoach are providing more support for those affected by travel and have now included Teignmouth too. The railway is an essential link for our communities, which is being highlighted by the disruption that the closure is causing.”
Stagecoach pledged that the special fares and extended travel zones will remain in place until the railway line at Dawlish is re-opened.
Network Rail engineers at Dawlish are working in very difficult conditions with work taking place on a six-hours on, six-hours off basis, designed around the tidal patterns.
With more extreme weather set to hit the area again throughout the night work crews face the extra challenges that come with it.
The repair work is currently protected frrom further damage by several large weighted shipping containers which act as an extra seawall.
Today’s poor weather has also seen speed restrictions imposed on the rail route between Newton Abbot and Penzance, and also on the Barnstaple and Exmouth branch lines extending journey’s by up to 30mins.
Due to periods of heavy rain and high winds trains have been cancelled between Salisbury and Exeter St Davids, a two hourly replacement train shuttle service is now running.
