RAIL services between Carlisle and Newcastle will resume on Monday.

Engineers are carrying out the final repairs to the west line following a huge landslip last month.

They have been on the site of the landslip, at Farnley Haugh, near Corbridge, since January 7 clearing over 35,000 tonnes of soil and debris away from the site after the wettest month on record caused a nearby drainage pipe to break.

Network Rail has confirmed that the work is almost complete and that train services will return to normal from Monday.

Rob McIntosh, route managing director at Network Rail, said: "Thank you also to the community living near the site of the slip for their ongoing patience and understanding with what has been a significant rebuild project which is set to carry on for many weeks.

"The unprecedented weather which led to the landslip, and which has continued throughout the clear up, presented us with a series of difficult engineering challenges but I am pleased to confirm that the work has gone to plan."

After initially diverting the running water away from the site, engineers had to begin clearing away the fallen debris, while making sure not to cause any further landslips by stabilising the bank. 

Once that was done, repairs were carried out to the track itself to get the line ready for service again.

Alex Hynes, managing director for train operator Northern Rail, said: "We are delighted to see our train services resuming on the line from Monday.

"Our customers have been extremely patient while Network Rail worked on this challenging project and we’d like to thank them for this level of understanding."
Compensation details for passengers are available on Northern Rail's website.