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CrossCountry has cancelled mainline trains through Dawlish this morning, due to "forecast severe weather".

In a tweet, the rail operator said: "DISRUPTION: Owing to forecast severe weather, the line through #Dawlish will be closed to our Voyager trains between 05:30 and 08:30 today. For details of individual service amendments, please visit: journeycheck.com/crosscountry/"

The next train running to Plymouth and Cornwall will be the Great Western railway Exeter St Davids to Penzance train, which leaves Exeter at 8.14am, followed by the 8.44an Exeter to Penzance service.

The Met Office weather forecast says there is a "risk of coastal gales."

CrossCountry Voyager trains are unable to operate on the Dawlish line during bad weather because they suffer electrical problems and may short circuit if they get wet, causing onboard safety systems to shut down the train engines.

Previously, A spokesperson for CrossCountry said: “We understand the importance of direct rail connections to and from Devon and Cornwall with the Midlands and North, and are committed to providing the best service possible for our customers.

“Unfortunately, just like driving a car through a flooded road, if a Voyager train is struck by a large wave on the sea wall it can short circuit the electrical systems and cause the train to fail.

"Because of this, when the weather conditions present such a risk then our agreed processes mean we must terminate trains at Exeter or Newton Abbot and customers can continue their journeys using other train services. This approach protects other local and long distance trains using the railway through Devon from extended delays or cancellation.

“Although the number of CrossCountry services affected by such incidents is small, we remain committed to working with Network Rail and our other industry partners to explore possible solutions.”