Flood-damaged rail route from Ardlui to Crianlarich to stay closed

Part of a railway route in the west of Scotland will remain closed until 22 August after severe flooding swept away part of the track.

The decision was taken to keep the line closed between Ardlui and Crianlarich following detailed geotechnical and aerial surveys of the damage.

However, services will be reintroduced between Crianlarich and Oban from Monday.

Heavy rain washed the trackbed from under the railway last Sunday.

Network Rail said the slope supporting the railway had given way at several points with thousands of tonnes of material being swept away.

The flooding had also damaged ballast under the track on the Oban branch line, near Tyndrum.

Network Rail said the recovery work had been further complicated by the remote location of the sites and the ongoing weather conditions.

ScotRail services are currently running between Glasgow Queen Street and Arrochar/Ardlui and between Crianlarich and Fort William/Mallaig.

Buses are operating between Arrochar and Crianlarich, and to Oban.

Liam Sumpter, route director for Network Rail Scotland, said: "Our engineers will be working around-the-clock to reopen the line as quickly as possible for our customers.

"This is a very complex repair as we need to reconstruct the slope beneath the line - replacing thousands of tonnes of lost material - before we can repair the tracks above."