Special crane on way to site of derailed train near Grange over Sands to lift it onto tracks

The crane will be used to rerail the train which can then be removed to allow for ground and track repairs.

Railway engineers have been inspecting the damage and carrying out ground investigations after a Northern train derailed in Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria.

Four passengers and four members of staff were safely evacuated from the train.

Network Rail is advising passengers that the route will be closed while the investigation, train recovery and repair work is complete.

Initial investigations suggest this could take two weeks.

Around 150m away from the derailment location, a void in the ground has opened.

Network Rail is working with the Rail Accident Investigation Branch* (RAIB) to determine the cause of the void and the train derailment.

After the RAIB completed their initial investigation, Network Rail has begun the complex recovery process by sending a specialist Network Rail crane to re-rail and remove the train.

Other steps for recovery include carrying out repairs to the ground and installing new ballast (railway stones) and laying new track over the affected area.

Chris Pye, Network Rail’s North West route infrastructure director, said: “On the rare occasions trains leave tracks like this it can cause extensive damage and unfortunately this incident

is no exception. The additional problem with the ground conditions means this is an especially complicated recovery process.

“I understand this will be extremely frustrating for passengers travelling between Lancaster and Barrow-in-Furness. 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.”

The closure will not significantly affect the timetable over the Easter bank holiday due to preplanned work in the area.

Train services will run between Carlisle and Barrow-in-Furness on the Cumbrian coast line.

Bus replacement services will be in operation between Barrow-in-Furness and Lancaster while the recovery of the train and repair work takes place at Grange-over-Sands.

For the latest updates on the incident, passengers can follow the Network Rail Lancashire and Cumbria X account (formerly Twitter) on @NetworkRailLC.

For up-to-date travel information and detail on alternative travel please check https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/ or https://www.northernrailway.co.uk/service-updates