'Iconic' rail route to fully reopen more than a year after huge landslip

Settle-Carlisle rail route (Network Rail / PA)

The Settle-Carlisle railway line in Cumbria will fully reopen in March 2017, more than a year after it was partly closed due to a major landslip, Network Rail (NR) said.

Some 500,000 tonnes of earth under the tracks at Eden Brows gave way in February after weeks of downpours, shutting the scenic route, which is popular with tourists.

The £23 million repair project is on a similar scale to the restoration of storm-damaged tracks on the Dawlish seafront in Devon in 2014.

Hundreds of steel tubes filled with concrete will be set into the hillside to form a corridor on which a 100-metre long concrete slab will be placed, giving the railway a solid base.

Martin Frobisher, managing director for NR’s London North Western route, said: “The tunnel-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 according to our programme of work will be by the end of March 2017,” he said.

The line was initially shut between Appleby and Carlisle. Northern services began running as far as Armathwaite last month, with buses operating between there and Carlisle.

Mr Frobisher said NR is “strongly committed” to the line, which it regards as “an essential freight route and a vital service for local communities”.

He went on: “We recognise the impact the closure of the line between Appleby and Carlisle has had on local communities, especially during the summer tourist season.

“We would remind people that the Settle-Carlisle line remains very much open for business.”

Alex Hynes, managing director for Northern, commented: “The engineering challenge for the Network Rail team at Eden Brows has been huge and it’s fantastic to hear their solution will contribute to protecting this beautiful route for rail users in years to come.”

Douglas Hodgins, chairman of the Friends of Settle-Carlisle Line group, said the landslip could have been a “catastrophic event” for the future of the rail route.

He added: “The enormity of the repair task cannot be overstated. We are very grateful that such effort has been put into getting us to this stage and we are all working hard to ensure that the line – built as a main line between London and Scotland – can resume its role as a vital part of the UK’s rail network as soon as possible.”

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