THE West Coast Main Line will remain closed between Scotland and Carlisle until the beginning of March after damage to a bridge turned out to be worse than expected.
The route was originally scheduled to reopen from February first once damage caused by Storm Frank to the Lamington Viaduct in December was repaired.
Bosses now expect to complete the repairs in the first week of March, but have not ruled out further delays if the area is hit again by heavy rain.
Network Rail confirmed today [Monday] that the damage was more severe than anticipated.
Engineers were only able to get a proper look at the damage beneath the waterline last week, after spending the first couple of weeks stabilising the structure - which was at risk of collapse.
They have now discovered that the track had sunk by 180mm (seven inches) and tilted 250mm (10 inches) - a massive amount for a bridge, and in engineering terms meaning that the viaduct has "structurally failed".
The bearings which support the viaduct are also damaged and the foundations have required 300 cubic metres of concrete to stabilise the bridge.
From tonight, engineers will begin drilling down eight metres below the surface to create a cavity into which steel rods will be fitted to make the bridge "robust" against future damage.
It was described by Network Rail and ScotRail bosses as the worst example of infrastruture damage since the Ness Viaduct was "washed away" in storms in 1989.
The disruption affects passengers using Virgin Trains West Coast service, the Caledonian Sleeper and First Transpennine Express.
Virgin passengers travelling on the WCML between Scotland and Carlisle will be able to use either replacement buses or a rail shuttle service from Glasgow to Carlisle, via Dumfries, which is running approximately once an hour from 7am-7pm daily.
Both the rail or bus options will add just over an hour to the journey time to London. Once in Carlisle, passengers will be able to join the main rail services heading south.
Virgin West Coast passengers booked to travel from Edinburgh will also be able to use a shuttle rail service to Carlisle.
The East Coast Main Line is unaffected so journeys between Edinburgh and London King's Cross continue to operate normally.
First Transpennine Express customers will need to catch a rail replacement coach in both directions between Edinburgh and Lockerbie, and in both directions between Glasgow and Carlisle.
First TransPennine Express Interim Managing Director Liz Collins said: "We understand this will add more journey time and we know it’s a frustrating situation; however we are providing the best service we can in these difficult circumstances and we will continue to get our customers to their destination."
The disruption has driven many passengers to avoid the railway. According to First Transpennine Express, they have experienced fall in passenger journeys of 19,700 over the past three weeks.
A spokesman for Virgin Trains said it was inevitable that passenger traffic had declined, but it was too early to say what the full impact has been.
Phil Verster, Managing Director of the ScotRail Alliance said: “The damage caused by Storm Frank to the Lamington Viaduct has been very serious. Our engineers have been in a race against time to get the structure stabilised and prevent it from collapsing into the Clyde. Only now that we have won that race can we really see the full extent of the damage.
“The damage from the floodwaters is significant. We have had to use hundreds of tons of rock to divert and reduce the flow rates at the piers and an extraordinary amount of concrete just to stabilise the second pier. Unfortunately the scale of the damage and the complex nature of the engineering challenges means that the repair is going to take longer than we initially thought.
“All of the train companies who operate services on the West Coast Main Line are working together to make sure that we keep goods and people moving. The temporary timetables and arrangements that have been in place for the past couple of weeks are going to have to continue. That is why it is so important that anyone who is travelling on this route checks their travel details before they travel. All the companies have information on their websites and have staff ready to answer any questions you might have.
“I know that the damage that Storm Frank has caused to this viaduct is impacting on a lot of people. We are doing everything we can to get the repairs done and the line reopened quickly and safely.”
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