Engineers had to battle difficult weather conditions to reopen the main Sheffield-Manchester railway after it was blocked by a landslip on 5th February. Staff sent to site at Buxworth near Chinley discovered part of an embankment alongside the Manchester-bound line had fallen away and was blocking part of a road below it.
The Sheffield-bound line was reopened first thing on Sunday morning with a 5mph speed restriction. Repair work involved around 400 tonnes of stone being brought to site and positioned using a long-reach excavator. The embankment had been rebuilt late the same evening, resulting in both lines being reopened with a 20mph ESR.
Meanwhile, RAIB has launched an inquiry after a two-car Class 158 DMU struck rubble at 30mph as it approached Dryclough Junction near Halifax. The unit derailed but no injuries were reported. Preliminary investigations found that rubble had fallen from a section of retaining wall along the top of the steep-sided cutting. Prior to the collapse, an adjacent pavement had been cordoned off by the local authority after it was found to be subsiding.
