Network Rail engineers have successfully repaired the embankment as part of a complex operation to recover the railway after a train derailed in Grange-over-Sands on Friday 22 March 2024.

The next step is to relay the ballast (railway stones) and track before services can run again.

Engineers confirm the work is on track to be completed next week.

The derailment involved a Northern train coming off the tracks. A void in the ground was found around 150m away from the train.

The team have been working around the clock to repair the damage as efficiently as possible.

A specialist crane was brought in to rerail and remove the train from the site of the derailment.

With the train safely removed, engineers could start to repair the railway.

A variety of methods were used to carry out a thorough investigation into the ground conditions at the site, while also carrying out complicated repairs in the challenging environment.

Phil James, North West route director, said: “I’m grateful to the people of Cumbria for their patience whilst we carry out this complex investigation and recovery of the railway in Grange-over-Sands following the recent derailment of a Northern train.

“Our engineers are working tirelessly to repair and reopen the railway. We are doing everything we can to get trains on the move between Lancaster and Barrow-in-Furness as soon as possible.”

Passengers are advised to visit northernrailway.co.uk/service-updates for the latest travel advice.

Craig Harrop, regional director for Northern in the North West, said: “This is an important milestone in the significant infrastructure repair works that were needed in order for our services to safely resume. We look forward to Network Rail re-opening the line so that we can operate through rail services and re-connect our customers with the rest of our network.”

For the latest updates on the incident, passengers can follow the Network Rail Lancashire and Cumbria X account (formerly Twitter) on @NetworkRailLC.