Engineers move 27,000 tonnes of stone to strengthen area surrounding rail line

Network Rail

NETWORK Rail has confirmed that the Largs line is to fully reopen on March 27 after 7,000 tonnes of debris fell onto the rail track.

Engineers from the organisation have been working ‘around-the-clock’ to remove the debris affecting a 100 metre stretch of track and have completely rebuilt the slope above the line – using specialist diggers to drop more than 27,000 tonnes of stone to strengthen the area.

With new tracks already laid, Network Rail said overhead line and signalling repairs are complete services will be able to resume.

Liam Sumpter, Network Rail Scotland route director, said, “Our engineers have worked as quickly as possible to complete these repairs and get services back on the move for customers. This was a challenging and complex project, with thousands of tons of material having to be removed before we could begin to assess the damage to the line and make our repairs. We appreciate the inconvenience the closure of the railway has caused to passengers, and our lineside neighbours, and we thank them for their understanding during the recovery works.”

David Simpson, ScotRail operations director, added, “It has been a challenging time for customers and we did everything we could to keep them moving, with replacement buses helping those making essential journeys while these vital repairs were carried out. Our colleagues in Network Rail have worked hard to allow services to return to normal, and we have worked closely with them to help ensure the line has been reopened as quickly, and safely, as possible.”