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Friday 13 Feb 2026

1,000 tonnes of spoil being removed as engineers tackle landslip

Region & Route:

Eastern

| Eastern: North & East

Round-the-clock work is ongoing to stabilise a cutting slope following a landslip between Wakefield Kirkgate and Barnsley.

A slow-moving landslip in a cutting near Woolley Tunnel, north of Darton, was reported to Network Rail on Wednesday morning (11 February). It had not reached the track.

About 1,000 tonnes of spoil are being removed from the area – at a rate of about 60 tonnes an hour – to allow for the safe resumption of train services.

Current plans are for the railway to reopen for the start of passenger services tomorrow morning (Saturday 14 February), with a speed restriction in place as further monitoring of the land takes place over the weekend.

George Drum, Network Rail infrastructure director, said:

“Our teams have been working tirelessly since the landslip was reported to make the site safe and get passengers moving again as quickly as possible. Safety is always our first priority, and while we aim to reopen the line for the start of services tomorrow, we’ll continue to monitor the earthworks closely over the weekend. We’re sorry to anyone whose journey has been affected and grateful to passengers for their patience while this essential work is carried out.”

Services today between Leeds, Nottingham, Sheffield and Lincoln are still affected, so please check before you travel at nationalrail.co.uk.

Passengers at Normanton are advised to travel with TransPennine Express to Castleford or Wakefield and change. A road transport service is running between Wakefield and Barnsley for passengers at Darton.