Direct train services between Carlisle and Newcastle and Carlisle and Skipton are being reinstated from the start of service next Wednesday, 7th December.

Services have been suspended since 19th October, when a major freight train derailment at Petteril Bridge junction caused a large amount of damage to a Victorian-era railway bridge, railway lines, and signalling equipment. Until services restart, rail-replacement buses will continue to operate.

Intending passengers should check their journeys before they travel at www.nationalrail.co.uk.

In the derailment, five wagons of a train travelling between Clitheroe and Carlisle, each filled with 80 tonnes of powdered cement, came off the track. That resulted in the complete closure of the Tyne Valley line between Carlisle and Newcastle and the Settle to Carlisle line between Carlisle, Appleby, and Skipton. In its initial report into the derailment, the Rail Accident Investigation Branch found that it was most likely caused by a fault with a train wheel.

Engineers are in the final stages of repairing the damage, which included installing a new reinforced-concrete bridge deck. It took over 25,000 hours of work to restore the lines, and included the following:

• recovery of the locomotive and 11 of the 14 wagons involved in the derailment;
• using a giant vacuum to remove 80 tonnes of powdered cement from three wagons that needed recovery by crane;
• replacing 80 metres of damaged track;
• installing 400 metres of cabling for signals and points;
• replacing two points switches;
• pouring 125 tonnes of structural concrete into 16 tonnes of metal reinforcement cages that were used to repair the damaged bridge over the river.

Phil James, Network Rail’s North West route director, said: “I’m sorry to passengers who’ve faced much longer journeys over the last seven weeks while we carried out our emergency railway repairs. I know how frustrating rail delays can be on people’s lives and we’ve worked tirelessly to get the routes restored as quickly as possible.

“This has been a very complex recovery and repair job. When it’s complete this major railway junction will be better than new and will provide more reliable journeys for passengers and freight for years to come.”

Kerry Peters, regional director at Northern, said: “We have been working very hard with Network Rail to reopen the railway at Petteril bridge following the freight train derailment in October.

“Work will be completed next week and Northern train services will be able to resume on both the Tyne Valley and Settle to Carlisle lines. We’d like to thank our customers for being patient during this disruption and everyone involved in getting our passengers moving again.”

Sharon Kennedy, Environment Agency environment manager, said: “The Environment Agency incident response teams provided support to the initial rail incident and the ongoing recovery work to ensure minimum impact to the environment . This example shows how we can work together at pace to respond to a critical incident to support safe rail infrastructure, protect the environment and manage flood risk to the public.”

Anne Ridley, from the Tyne Valley Community Rail Partnership, said: “This incident has highlighted the importance of the railway to our communities and local residents. We welcome the news that the complex recovery and reinstatement operation is on target for re-opening of services to and from Carlisle for passengers on the Tyne Valley and Settle-Carlisle routes. Thank you for everyone involved in the operation and to the rail replacement bus companies and their drivers for helping passengers to get to their destinations”