Network Rail has announced that emergency work to repair the line after a landslip hit the railway between Salisbury and Romsey has been completed ahead of schedule.

The section of the line just outside of Salisbury was closed on Tuesday, February 18 following an extended period of rainfall and flooding.

Engineers have worked 24/7 to secure the line and prepare it to reopen.

Work to complete the full repair requires the installation of up to 250 metres of 13-metre deep steel sheets into the embankment to prevent future landslips.

Once the railway is reopened, engineers will stay on-site to deliver the remaining works.

What did the officials say?

Mark Killick, route director for Network Rail‘s Wessex route, said:

“I’d like to thank passengers and local residents for their patience while we’ve been working hard to get this vital link reopened. Many people’s journeys over the last few weeks will have been longer than expected and for that I can only apologise. Our priority was to make the railway safe and get the line open for passengers and freight as soon as possible.

“I’m pleased to say that we are on target to reopen three days ahead of schedule which will support key workers needing to travel and keep critical freight deliveries on schedule.”

Alastair Hutton, Project Manager for Great Western Railway, said:

“Our focus is to run services that can be relied on at this time of uncertainty, providing essential transport for key workers to get to and from work.

“We’re pleased Network Rail has been able to reopen the line between Salisbury and Romsey, allowing us to provide these vital services once more.”

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