Salisbury and Romsey 'landslip' rail line to reopen by end of March

The landslip occurred after a prolonged period of heavy rain and flooding of the field below the embankment

A railway line which closed after a landslip made the route unsafe is set to reopen by the end of March.

The landslip happened near Salisbury on 18 February, leaving a 20m (66 ft) section of track unsupported.

Replacement bus services are being used with trains unable to run between Salisbury and Romsey.

Network Rail said repairs have been complicated by flooding, and a long term plan to rebuild the embankment will begin when the waters subside.

Network Rail has devised a short term solution to allow the line to reopen by the end of March

Mark Killick, route director for Network Rail Wessex, said: "This landslip is a serious challenge. Our absolute priority is to safely reopen the line for passengers and I can confirm that engineers have devised an interim solution that will see the line re-opened by the end of March."

Christian Neill, deputy director of customer experience at South Western Railway, said: "We are working closely with Network Rail to ensure services return back to normal as quickly as possible."