Railway line reopens after train derailment

A railway line has re-opened a month after a passenger train derailed.

The Northern train came off the tracks near Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria, on 22 March, approximately 150m (492 ft) from a hole in the ground.

Over the last month engineers have been working to repair the embankment and re-lay stones and track on the Furness line, described by Network Rail as a "very complex recovery and repair job".

It said it was continuing to work with the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) into how the derailment happened. Nobody was injured.

The RAIB said its investigation was ongoing, and it aimed to publish reports within 12 months of an accident occurring.

Engineers removed 400 tonnes of spoil - the waste material brought up during the course of an excavation - from the embankments, and installed almost 84 tonnes of new materials to repair the damage, Network Rail said.

No-one was injured when the train, with four passengers and four staff members on board, derailed in the early hours of 22 March.

Replacement buses were put in place while the line, between Cumbria and Lancashire, was closed for repairs.

Network Rail’s North West route director Phil James said it was a "very complex recovery and repair job".

“I’d like to thank passengers for their patience while we worked tirelessly to get the railway back up and running after it was severely damaged by the void and train derailment," he added.

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