Train services between Plymouth and Totnes have resumed this morning after Network Rail completed a major upgrade to the historic River Plym railway bridge.

The project, carried out beside the A38 Devon Expressway, involved 16 days of continuous round-the-clock work to strengthen the 19th-century structure and keep the railway running safely and reliably for modern services.

More than 16,000 hours of engineering work were logged during the upgrade. Crews installed 134 new steel rail bearers, refurbished the bridge deck and girders, and replaced ageing timbers with 24 new FFU synthetic beams, which are lighter, require far less maintenance and can last up to six times longer than traditional wood.

Engineers also laid 180 metres of new rail across the bridge, the first major renewal there in decades. Originally built in 1868, the structure now carries faster, heavier and more frequent trains than ever before.

While the line was closed, teams also carried out improvements nearby, including new rail installation near Newton Abbot, resurfacing part of the Plymouth-bound platform at Totnes railway station, upgrades to track crossings near Ivybridge and Plympton, along with drainage maintenance, vegetation clearance and surveys for a future signalling upgrade. 

“This has been an intense period of work and we’ve got an awful lot done to help keep the railway running safely long into the future.

“We’re very grateful to passengers for their patience and understanding while the railway has been temporarily closed. We thank our supply chain partners for delivering such a complex programme of work and our partners for their efforts in keeping people moving.”

Dan Parkes, Network Rail principal portfolio manager.

“We are really pleased that, working with our partners, we have been able to deliver these improvements, which will keep passengers safely moving in and out of Devon and Cornwall for years to come, better supporting the local and national economy.

“We recognise only too well how frustrating it can be when improvement works interrupt passengers’ journeys and we are grateful for the understanding shown while this work took place.”

Sharon Holloway, GWR station manager for Plymouth and East Cornwall.