Landslip-hit railway line to reopen

The damage has taken more than four months to repair

A railway line is expected to reopen on Sunday after a landslip blocked the line more than four months ago.

The line, which runs between Bradford Forster Square and Ilkley, was forced to shut after thousands of tonnes of earth slipped down over the track near Baildon on 9 February.

Two privately-owned houses had to be demolished due to the movement of land which caused the landslip.

Network Rail said the repair work would be monitored to ensure there are no further "issues or risks to train services".

Specialist road and rail vehicles and other equipment were used to remove almost 16,000 tonnes of earth to stabilise the land during the repair work.

Network Rail, which is responsible for railway infrastructure, said: "Monitoring of the landslip repair will continue to make sure there are no issues or risks to train services."

The firm said the cause of the landslip was disputed and it was working with the homeowners and third parties, including Yorkshire Water, to resolve the issue.

The repair work included the demolition of two houses above the track

Jason Hamilton, Network Rail’s director for its North & East route, said: "I know this has been a difficult time for the community and I want to say a heartfelt thank you to all impacted local residents for their support and cooperation throughout our work.

“I also want to say thank you to passengers who have faced disruption to rail services for their patience and understanding of the situation.”

An aerial view of the site before the houses near the line were knocked down

Services on the line are run by Northern and its regional director Kerry Peters also thanked customers for their patience during the "complicated and safety-critical work".

"We appreciate it has caused significant disruption to people’s journeys over several weeks and we are very happy to be able to resume services along the line once again.”

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