Glasgow to Carlisle rail line out of action until the weekend
Repairs to flood damage in Lanarkshire will take until Saturday
Network Rail says it will take until next weekend to complete repairs to a section of the Glasgow to Carlisle West Coast Mainline which was washed away during flooding on Friday 30th December.
A 40m stretch of an embankment near Carstairs was severely damaged by the heavy rainfall and the company says it will require extensive rebuilding work.
More than 200 tonnes of stone will need to be brought in to reinforce the area before the track and signalling systems can be replaced and tested.
Strike action this week
Disruption to passenger services is likely to be less than would usually be the case because of RMT strike action by signalling workers which will stop most services running across the UK network on Tuesday and Wednesday, and then again on Friday and Saturday.
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.”
'Do not travel' advice
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 to 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.
“If you are no longer able to travel, you can claim a full fee-free refund from where you bought your ticket. For further travel information on please visit www.avantiwestcoast.co.uk.”
Passengers planning to travel between Glasgow / Edinburgh and Carlisle should check their journey before travelling at www.nationalrail.co.uk or with their individual train operator.
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