THE Sunday train service running from Okehampton to Exeter has been cancelled this week due to maintenance problems.

Due to temporary speed restrictions on certain parts of the rail track, Great Western Railway have liaised with Dartmoor Railway and Devon County Council and decided to cancel the service this Sunday.

A Great Western Railway spokesperson said: ’A temporary speed restriction has been put in place over the line between Yeoford Junction and Okehampton, 25mph instead of the usual 55mph, and as a result our service this Sunday (June 4) will be severely impacted to the extent that we will not be able to deliver a reliable service within available resources.

’We have therefore agreed with Devon County Council to cancel services for this weekend and get appropriate messaging out to customers.

’We realise that this is disappointing, but hope you agree that this is better than attempting to run a service which, at best, would offer an unsatisfactory experience. We understand that the issue is a short term one and expect to be operating as normal from Sunday, June 11. Dartmoor Railway will advise us accordingly.

’We are contacting Stagecoach regarding the capacity of Service 6, in case there are any people that want to switch to the bus for their travel arrangements. In addition, we have agreed with Devon County Council that they will cover anyone at Sampford Courtenay who are stuck due to lack of alternative, although we expect this number to be very low.

To compensate for the lack of operation this Sunday, Great Western Railway has offered Devon County Council an extra Sunday in September.Those wishing to travel from Okehampton to Exeter this Sunday are recommended to use the Stagecoach bus service from Okehampton’s West Street and other stops along Fore Street and Exeter Road. The service calls at Exeter St David's train station for onward rail connections.For further information, click here.Alternatively, there is a Devon Day bus ticket available, and details can be found here.