Railway to reopen after anonymous donation

The track will be moved 9ft 8in (3m) to the left to avoid the landslip

A Derbyshire railway line will be restored after hundreds of donations from the public and an anonymous cash injection of £10,000.

The Ecclesbourne Valley Railway has reached its £30,000 fundraising target, which was set up to restore services to Duffield Station after a landslip.

The track near the southern end of the line will be moved three metres to the left to avoid the landslip and make it safe for trains to run on.

Chairman Neil Ferguson-Lee said: "Every one of those donations has counted, it's absolutely fantastic."

Chairman Neil Ferguson-Lee says the track should be back in use by June

Since October, the railway, which usually runs between Wirksworth and Duffield, has only been taking passengers as far as Shottle.

The landslip began about a year ago, but Storm Babet worsened the situation, and the slip was encroaching on the line near Duffield.

Mr Ferguson added: "We've all at the railway got to thank the several hundred, mostly Derbyshire residents, who've contributed to this fund."

Volunteer Tom Tait said it was a "great day for the railway"

Tom Tait, who volunteers at the heritage railway, says funds are limited because the charity is not a major railway.

He said: "It's been very depressing, our income has suffered considerably because we can't get into Duffield station, so we have lost considerable funds over the last year.

"We've been amazed and humbled by the generosity of Derbyshire folk."

Work has now started to move the track and it is hoped the line will reopen by June.