Repairs after derailment will be 'challenging'

The bridge over the River Petteril was damaged and one of the wagons went into the water

A railway magazine writer believes repairs to a railway line in northern England will be "challenging".

An interim report by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch found a damaged wheel was to blame for a freight train coming off the tracks in Carlisle.

Tony Miles from Modern Railways Magazine said the operation to lift the damaged wagons with two containers of cement powder, which are still in the River Petteril, would be logistically difficult.

Network Rail has said the line is likely to be closed for weeks.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) found the derailment was almost certainly caused by a wheel fault

The Clitheroe to Carlisle Yard freight service derailed at Petteril Bridge Junction, near Carlisle, shortly after 20:00 BST on Wednesday.

Five of the 14 loaded cement wagons derailed, with one entering the River Petteril.

Mr Miles said he did not think the recovery operation would be straightforward.

"It's challenging, they have to get some pretty hefty cranes in to lift the damaged wagons out of the way, even once they're emptied," he said.

"I'm told the ground nearby isn't all that stable, so it's not a case of rolling a crane up, parking it and doing the lifting. They've got to find somewhere stable to rest the crane on."

Wagons loaded with cement left the tracks near the Petteril Bridge junction

The derailment caused "significant damage" to tracks, a railway bridge and line side equipment such signalling.

Mr Miles told BBC Radio Cumbria: "The demolished parapet on one side of the bridge will have to be rebuilt as it is part of the structure of the bridge, and it's got to be firm enough as it holds the ballasts that hold the tracks in place.

"So the mortar will have to have gone off for it to be strong enough to take the weight of the ballasts, so that's a bridge rebuilding job."

Another area he was concerned about was how to get the cement powder out of the derailed wagons, especially as he said one of the wagons was upside down, so any operation would have to lift the carriage the "right way round" to be able to get the contents out.

A spokesperson for Network Rail said contractors had been on site removing the cement from the wagons and it was hoped the operation to lift the wagons would start next week.

To do the job, a crane will have to be built at the scene, which Network Rail said will take about three days.

Buses are replacing Northern services on the line between Carlisle and Appleby and Carlisle and Settle.