13.12.16
Iconic Settle-Carlisle line to reopen by 31 March following ‘remarkable’ works
The Settle to Carlisle line will finally reopen by 31 March after being closed for over a year following a 500,000 tonne landslip, Network Rail has promised.
Northern rail services on the line have been replaced by buses since a section of the gorge bank above the River Eden gave way in poor weather on 31 January this year.
The infrastructure owner’s chosen engineering scheme, of building a concrete and steel tunnel-like structure under the tracks at a cost of £23m, is now underway.
Rhiannon Price, project manager for Network Rail, said: “The viaduct-like structure we’re building will safeguard this section of railway for generations to come. If the land gives way again, the railway will not.
“This is a complex repair job many months in the planning. We are now focused on getting this iconic and much-loved line fully reopened right the way to Carlisle as soon as possible, which is on schedule 31 March 2017.”
After the railway reopens, Network Rail will carry out earthworks improvements to the foot of the embankment below the line and above the River Eden, including drainage ditches and pipework, rock armour to guard against erosion when flows are high, and replanting trees across the affected area.
Paul Barnfield, regional director at Northern, said: “The work carried out on the Settle to Carlisle line is nothing short of remarkable.
“We know it has been a difficult 12 months for our customers, but with the completion of the engineering work, we now look forward to being able to welcome passengers for many years to come.”
Douglas Hodgins, chair of the Friends of the Settle-Carlisle Line, said: “The re-opening of the line right through to Carlisle on 31 March will be a huge achievement and a boost to Anglo-Scottish traffic especially. The scale and significance of the work being done at Eden Brows cannot be overstated.”
(Image c. Network Rail)
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