It will take weeks to recover wagons of a derailed train from a river in Carlisle, experts said, causing rail misery for travellers.
Five wagons of a cement freight train on its way to Carlisle from Clitheroe derailed – with one ending in the River Petteril – yesterday, October 19, just outside Carlisle Railway Station.
Railway engineers have been inspecting the damage caused after a freight train carrying cement derailed in Carlisle.
The freight train came off at the Petteril Junction, off London Road, just before 9.30pm, where the Settle to Carlisle line joins the Newcastle line on the approach to Carlisle Railway Station.
Network Rail and the Rail Accident Investigation Branch are working to determine the cause.
Five inspectors, plus support staff from the investigation branch, are at the site. They are working with other agencies, including the Environment Agency, to secure evidence to discover what went wrong.
A spokesman said: “We are reviewing on-train data recorders, CCTV and infrastructure monitoring systems as well as collecting evidence from the train and track.”
It said they will maintain a presence at the site as necessary over the coming days.
They believe they have found a possible cause – a damaged wheel on one of the wagons.
A statement from Network Rail said: “Railway engineers have carried out an initial scope of damage to tracks, a railway bridge and line side equipment like signalling.
“Making those repairs combined with the challenge of recovering the train’s wagons is estimated to take weeks rather than days.”
????️VIDEO UPDATE????
— Network Rail Lancashire & Cumbria (@NetworkRailLC) October 20, 2022
????Here’s Network Rail’s North West route director Phil James from the scene of the Carlisle derailment ????️
This link explains how long the repairs could take???? https://t.co/hNWjrO3SPZ
????For rail replacement bus info visit @nationalrailenq and @northernassist pic.twitter.com/bdIoSbmsMz
No one was injured in the incident, but the railway will remain closed in both directions for some time, it added, causing major disruption for all rail services between Carlisle, Newcastle and Appleby and Skipton.
Rail replacement buses are being lined up for passengers.
Phil James, Network Rail’s North West route director, said: “On the rare occasions trains leave tracks like this it can cause extensive damage and unfortunately this incident is no exception.
“I understand this will be extremely frustrating for passengers who rely on this crucial rail link from east to west linking Carlisle and Newcastle, as well as south to Skipton.
“Across the rail industry we’re working hard to keep people on the move through rail replacement buses while we work as fast as we can to restore the railway for passengers and freight.”
Kerry Peters, regional director for Northern, said: “We are working closely with Network Rail to monitor the situation and provide the latest information to our passengers as to how they can still travel across the region.
“Customers should check before they travel and plan for longer journey times. We will provide updates on our website and via social media as soon as any new information about the recovery operation becomes known to us.”
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch is called in for incidents like this as a matter of course to provide an independent assessment of the situation.
Services that run from Carlisle to Whitehaven/Barrow and from Newcastle to Hexham are not affected.
