Carlisle train derailment recovery continues week after crash

Two of the five derailed wagons have been righted but a crane is needed for the remaining three

Several rail lines are expected to be closed "well into November" after a train carrying cement derailed, engineers have warned.

The train came off the tracks at Petteril Bridge Junction in Carlisle at about 20:00 BST on 21 October.

Of the five wagons that came off the track, two have been righted but three still need to be recovered by a crane, Network Rail said.

Services on the Tyne Valley and Settle to Carlisle lines are affected.

A Network Rail spokesman said replacement buses would be in place "for the foreseeable future" with train lines "expected to be closed well into November".

One of the derailed cement wagons entered the river below the bridge

The train consisted of 14 wagons each containing 80 tonnes of powdered cement, and was travelling between Clitheroe and Carlisle.

The crash, which saw one wagon fall into the River Petteril, was "almost certainly" caused by a damaged wheel hitting part of the track, investigators have said.

Specialists have been emptying the wagons of cement before moving them, with more than 110 tonnes extracted so far, and the Network Rail spokesman said it is expected all the material will be out by the start of next week.

The Environment Agency is "continuously monitoring that work" and there have been "no spillages into the river" during the recovery process, the spokesman said.

There will need to be "major repairs" after the derailment

The recovery is being hampered by the "difficult terrain" and "unstable ground conditions", with plans being finalised for the construction of a large crane needed to lift the remaining wagons, he added.

Once the wagons have been removed there will need to be "major railway repairs," Network Rail's North West route director Phil James said.

"I'd like to once again thank people for their patience while we continue our difficult work," he said.

Passengers are advised to check the National Rail website for information.