THE main rail line between Glasgow and Dumfries will be partially closed for up to two weeks while engineers repair a section of the track badly damaged in a freight collision.

The section of the line between Kilmarnock and Dumfries is expected to close until August 17 while engineers work to remove 18 derailed freight wagons and a locomotive from a site near Cumnock in Ayrshire.

It comes after two trains carrying ballast for engineering work rammed into one another at around 11.20am on Saturday.

No one was injured in the crash but a spokesman for British Transport Police said the tacks had been "significantly damaged".

Network Rail said it would take around 10 days to remove the derailed carriages from the scene and around three days to repair the track.

Replacement buses will be used in the meantime to transport passengers between Kilmarnock and Dumfries.

The disruption will affect around 20 services a day from Glasgow.

David Dickson, infrastructure director for the ScotRail Alliance, said: “Every effort is being made to recover the line and restore a full service for passengers as quickly as possible.

“Our engineers will be working around-the-clock to remove the derailed wagons and repair the damaged track beneath.

“This is a very complex operation and we will need to build an access road for a 1,000tn crane, which will then have to be built on site, before we can remove the wagons and repair the track.

"We understand the inconvenience this incident has caused passengers and replacement buses are in operation to serve the stations affected by the recovery works.”