Train services between Whitehaven and Workington are being disrupted due to a sinkhole being discovered on Thursday.
Network Rail is working to repair the section of the line after the sinkhole was discovered in the wake of Storm Eleanor, which passed through on the 4th January 2018. The sinkhole was found at Harrington.
Workers, who were working in the area for Network Rail, spotted the sinkhole. The hole in the ground is around 2ft wide and 4ft deep.
Engineers say the ground beneath the track is also shifting.
Sinkholes on the railway are rare on the railways, only 50 in the past 12 years have been seen according to Network Rail Records.
What did the officials say?
Phil James, head of operations for Network Rail’s London North Western route, said: “Sinkholes are very unusual on the railway. We are trying to work out whether this one been caused by a collapsed culvert or sea erosion or both. Either way, we’ve got a big hole right by the tracks that we need to fill in. We’re having to run trains on one rather than two lines along his stretch while we make our repairs. We aim to have things back to normal by Sunday. In theory, running the railway is simple. But in practice, when you throw storms, wind, waves and sinkholes into the mix, it gets more complicated.”
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