Settle-Carlisle line moving slope stopped in its tracks

Engineers made the cutting shallower and more stable using large amounts of rock

A "moving slope" which was at risk of slipping onto a rail line has been halted in its tracks after major engineering work.

The steep railway cutting was edging slowly towards the Settle-to-Carlisle line near Kirkby Stephen in Cumbria.

Network Rail engineers dug out tons of waterlogged soil and replaced it with 11,500 tons of rock.

Drainage pipes and catch pits were then laid to divert water away, making the area more resilient to heavy rainfall.

Soil that had been weakened by surface water from the surrounding area was excavated

Network Rail said the work, which cost £1.2m and is part of the Great North Rail Project, "will help keep passenger and freight services running reliably between Leeds and Carlisle".

A new drainage management system was installed