Train service hit by tunnel work to partly return

Northern said it was working to bring train services back between Sellafield and Corkickle

A train service is due to be partly reinstated to ease disruption, as work continues on a problem tunnel.

The line between Sellafield and Whitehaven in west Cumbria shut for emergency repairs after a survey found the floor needed to be strengthened at Bransty tunnel.

Northern said it was working to put on trains as far as Corkickle from the south of the county, and from Whitehaven to Carlisle in the north, reducing the need for bus replacement services.

The changes are expected to be introduced from 25 August, but Northern warned trains would still be unable to serve Braystones and Nethertown.

The operator explained it would have to run a different class of trains and install a temporary buffer stop in order to reopen the section of the line.

However, issues with platform access meant trains could still not reach Nethertown and Braystones, which are also inaccessible by bus.

Northern advised passengers to call its customer service or speak to station staff to arrange alternative travel from those stations.

Bus replacement services would run between Whitehaven and Corkickle, it said.

Delays to tunnel work

Last week, Northern came under fire after passengers reported unreliable bus replacement services.

Whitehaven and Workington MP Josh MacAlister called for the operator to give issues its "urgent attention" and urged it to work on a solution to partly reopen the line.

"I've been pushing Northern and Network Rail hard following expert advice I received that it was achievable," the Labour MP said.

He added he was "delighted" to hear of the upcoming changes.

A spokesman for Northern said: "We are committed to providing the best possible service for customers while works take place in the Bransty tunnel and re-establishing a full train service between Barrow-in-Furness and Carlisle at the earliest opportunity."

Work was expected to take place on the tunnel, between Whitehaven and Corkickle, in September to address flooding and replace tracks, but issues identified by the survey meant the tunnel was expected to be closed "for several months", Network Rail said.

Part of the line has been affected by contaminated water flowing from abandoned mines through the tunnel and discharging into the harbour at Whitehaven, causing the water to turn orange.