Devon signal upgrades
Upgrading the line from Totnes to Plymouth
What’s happening
Network Rail will be carrying out major signalling upgrades between Totnes and Plymouth. These upgrades will improve reliability on this route and enable trains to run closer together.
Most of this work will be done overnight, however, this will have an impact on late night/early morning services as well as the Night Riviera sleeper.
Work will start from Sunday 24 September and continue most Monday to Thursday nights as well as Saturday nights through until early 2024.

What dates are affected
Weeknights
From Monday 25 September until early 2024, work will take place every night from Monday evening through to Friday morning.
Exceptions
The list below contains nights where work will NOT take place:

• Evening of Monday 9 October to morning of Tuesday 10 October
• Evening of Monday 30 October to morning of Friday 10 November (due to Cornwall signalling works)
• Evening of Monday 20 November to morning of Wednesday 22 November
• Evening of Monday 18 December to morning of Wednesday 20 December
• Evening of Tuesday 26 December to morning of Friday 29 December (Christmas)
• Evening of Monday 19 February to morning of Tuesday 20 February
  Sunday mornings
  Work will also take place overnight between Saturday evening and Sunday morning. This won’t affect trains on Saturday evening but will impact trains on Sunday morning. This will affect all Sundays from 24 September until early 2024, except for 8, 15, 29 October, 5, 12 November, 10, 24 December.
  Devon signal upgrades
  Great Western Railway Page 2
  Changes to daytime services
  Monday to Thursday evenings
  Westbound:
• The 2003 London Paddington to Plymouth will terminate at Totnes at 2306 – customers for Plymouth should change at Taunton for a connecting bus at 2225.
• The 1508 Edinburgh to Plymouth will terminate at Taunton at 2215 – a connecting bus departs Taunton at 2225, calling at Tiverton Parkway (2300) and Plymouth (0020). Customers for others stations to connect onto the below services.
• The 2104 London Paddington to Plymouth will terminate at Exeter St Davids at 2330 – A replacement bus will leave Exeter St Davids at 2340, calling at Newton Abbot (0015), Totnes (0040), Ivybridge (0110) and Plymouth (0140)
  Eastbound:
• The 2100 Penzance to Exeter St Davids will terminate at Plymouth at 2259 – A replacement bus will leave Plymouth at 2315, calling at Ivybridge (2340), Totnes (0015), Newton Abbot (0040) and Exeter St Davids (0115)
• An extra train will run from Totnes (2344) to Exeter St Davids (0020), calling at Newton Abbot (2357)
  Tuesday to Friday mornings
• The 0454 Plymouth to London Paddington will start from Exeter St Davids – there will be no buses or trains to connect with this service
• The 0524 Plymouth to Edinburgh will start from Bristol Temple Meads – there will be no buses or trains to connect with this service unless travelling by train from Taunton
• The 0533 Plymouth to London Paddington will start from Totnes – A connecting replacement bus will leave Plymouth at 0440, stopping at Ivybridge at 0505
• The 0555 Plymouth to London Paddington will start from Exeter St Davids – A connecting replacement bus will leave Plymouth at 0540. Customers from Newton Abbot should board the 0614 train and change at Exeter St Davids.
  Sunday mornings
• The 0825 and 0912 Plymouth to London Paddington will start from Totnes at 0853 and 0939 respectively – A connecting replacement bus will leave Plymouth at 0755, arriving at 0840
  Devon signal upgrades
  Great Western Railway
  Changes to the Night Riviera sleeper
  The Night Riviera sleeper will continue to run as normal on most Friday and Sunday nights.
  The table below contains a summary of changes up to the end of 2023. If there is a date not listed below, the sleepers that night will run as normal. Dates in 2024 will be confirmed soon.
  For more details visit www.GWR.com/sleeper
  Date
  Service
  Monday 25 to Thursday 28 September
  Will not run in either direction
  Monday 2 to Thursday 5 October
  Will not run in either direction
  Tuesday 10 to Thursday 12 October
  Will not run in either direction
  Monday 16 to Thursday 19 October
  Will not run in either direction
  Monday 23 to Thursday 26 October
  Will not run in either direction
  Monday 30 October
  London Paddington to Penzance sleeper will terminate at Plymouth
  Penzance to London Paddington sleeper will run as normal
  Tuesday 31 October to Friday 3 November
  London Paddington to Penzance sleeper will terminate at Plymouth
  Penzance to London Paddington sleeper will start from Plymouth
  Sunday 5 November to Friday 10 November
  London Paddington to Penzance sleeper will terminate at Plymouth
  Penzance to London Paddington sleeper will start from Plymouth
  Sunday 12 November
  London Paddington to Penzance sleeper will run as normal
  Penzance to London Paddington sleeper will start from Plymouth
  Monday 13 to Thursday 16 November
  Will not run in either direction
  Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23 November
  Will not run in either direction
  Monday 27 to Thursday 30 November
  Will not run in either direction
  Monday 4 to Thursday 7 December
  Will not run in either direction
  Monday 11 to Thursday 14 December
  Will not run in either direction
  Wednesday 20 and Thursday 21 December
  Will not run in either direction
  Sunday 25 to Friday 29 December
  Will not run in either direction (normal Christmas period shut down)
  Devon signal upgrades
  Great Western Railway Page 4
  Replacement bus stops
  The table below shows replacement bus stops for each station affected.
  Station
  Replacement bus stop location
  Taunton
  South entrance of the station (by the new main entrance)
  Exeter St Davids
  Front of the station
  Newton Abbot
  Front of the station
  Totnes
  Station car park behind Platform 1
  Ivybridge
  Bus layby at the front of the station
  Plymouth
  Front of the station