TRAIN services serving Skipton are expected to be disrupted well into November as engineers continue a complex operation to recover several freight wagons which derailed a week ago in Carlisle.

The derailment involved one locomotive hauling 14 wagons, each filled with 80 tonnes of powdered cement, as it travelled between Clitheroe and Carlisle on Wednesday, October 21.

Five of the wagons derailed shortly after 8pm at Petteril Bridge Junction.

Of the five wagons which came off the tracks, two have been righted on the rails, and the remaining three will need to be lifted out by crane.

Before that can be done contractors have been emptying the wagons of all their cement – so each wagon's 20-tonne weight can be lifted safely.

More than 110 tonnes of cement has been extracted from the five affected wagons so far. It’s estimated all of the material will be emptied by the start of next week.

Meanwhile, rail replacement buses will continue to be available for passengers with train lines expected to be closed well into November.

This impacts all services on the Tyne Valley line between Carlisle and Newcastle and the Settle to Carlisle line between Carlisle, Appleby and Skipton.

An initial report published by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch found that a fault with a train wheel was the most likely cause of the derailment.

 

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