Seaton Tramway hit by floods

It isn’t just Blackpool that has been badly affected by the recent storms that have ravaged the British Isles; the Seaton Tramway in Devon has been an even greater victim of the extreme weather conditions. Damage sustained to the tramway’s infrastructure has led to the planned opening for the school half-term holidays having to be abandoned, as essential repairs take priority.

The Axe valley was badly hit by adverse weather on the evening of Friday 14th February. The following day, a full assessment of the impact had depressing results: ground floor offices at the Riverside Depot were flooded out, requiring the efforts of the local fire brigade to help pump out the water. However, more serious was the damage to the tramway itself, with a significant section of the line being severely affected after sections of the track bed were washed away. This has left overhead poles and rails badly distorted, with the power supply also affected and several trees uprooted.

Despite this major setback, the tramway management are optimistic that they will be able to restore a limited service in the fairly near future. It is hoped to run trams between Colyford and Colyton only, whilst the southbound line to Seaton is being repaired, and details of this will be announced in due course (although how trams will get from the depot to Colyford is a bit of a mystery considering that this is the section that has been worst affected!). A full service is expected to be restored in time for the peak summer season.