Landslip-hit Carlisle-to-Settle rail line set for March reopening

Heavy rain caused significant problems on parts of the iconic line

Part of the Settle-to-Carlisle rail line damaged by a 500,000-tonne landslip is scheduled to reopen on 31 March, it has been announced.

The stretch at Eden Brows, between Carlisle and Armathwaite, closed in February following heavy rain and Network Rail launched a £23m scheme to underpin the line.

Hundreds of concrete-filled steel piles are being driven into the bedrock.

Rail replacement buses are currently running between Carlisle and Appleby.

A steel, tunnel-like structure will sit beneath the railway, 230ft (70m) above the nearby River Eden, to provide a stable base across the damaged ground.

Two rows of high-strength piles in the sloping bedrock will form a corridor on which a 100 metre-long (328ft) concrete slab will provide a base for new tracks.

The popular tourist route usually carries about 1.3m passengers each year.

Paul Barnfield, regional director at rail firm Northern, said it had been a "difficult" time for its customers.