A series of vital engineering works are currently underway, committing to emergency repairs along the West Coast Mainline near Carstairs, between Carlisle and Glasgow due to recent flooding damages.
The recent obstructions occurred beneath the railway due to the damages sustained from extreme weather conditions on Friday 30th December, requiring extensive works to stabilise and maintain the foundations of the tracks.
These works will see Network Rail engineers working tirelessly to safely remove the landslip materials that are hampering the rail services along the route across a 40m long section of the line. Once this issue is resolved, works can then begin to reinforce the area with over 200 tonnes of new stone.
A Network Rail spokesperson said:
“Flooding has caused significant damage beneath the track, and we will need to rebuild the supporting embankment before re-opening the line.
“This is a very challenging project, but we understand the inconvenience closing the line will cause to customers and are working hard to reopen the railway as quickly as we can.”
Upon the completion of the strengthening works, these engineers will progress to relay the track above, whilst checking over the signalling systems that have been affected within the area. Due to the complexity of these repairs, the line will be closed for several days to accommodate, with no plans to reopen until at least Friday, January 6th.
An Avanti West Coast spokesperson said:
“While our colleagues at Network Rail are working hard to reopen the affected parts of the line damaged by the landslip caused by extreme weather, our advice to customers is do not travel to and from Scotland on the West Coast Mainline.
“Customers are being advised not to travel north of Carlisle as there are no services. An amended timetable is in place between Carlisle and London Euston. Customers travelling south of Carlisle are being strongly advised to check their journey before they travel. We thank our customers for their patience in what are very challenging circumstances.”
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