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Friday 19 Feb 2021

Customer update: Largs line landslip recovery works

Region & Route:

Scotland’s Railway: Scotland

ScotRail services are set to be extended to West Kilbride from Monday, February 22, as engineers make progress on clearing the landslip damaged Largs line.

The line has been closed between Ardrossan South Beach and Largs since Friday, February 5, after heavy rain caused a series of landslips near Ardrossan, West Kilbride and Fairlie.

Engineers have been working around-the-clock to remove debris and fix damaged embankments – including repairing a 10m-long landslip below the line near Ardrossan and clearing over 300 tonnes of debris from the railway near West Kilbride.

Those works are on course to see repairs on the section of line between Ardrossan and West Kilbride completed this weekend.

Work will, however, continue beyond the weekend at Fairlie where a significant landslip outside the railway boundary has brought more than 4,000 tonnes of material onto the track, affecting a 100m stretch of line.

Engineers are currently working to clear the debris from the line and stabilise the slope above the railway.

Overhead power and track repairs will also be required at Fairlie before the line can fully reopen to Largs. Work at this location will take until late March to complete.

To keep passengers moving while these vital repairs take place, ScotRail is also running a replacement bus service between Ardrossan South Beach and Largs.

Liam Sumpter, Network Rail Scotland route director, said: “The severe weather we experienced on February 5 has caused significant damage to the railway.

“We expect to complete repairs to West Kilbride this weekend, allowing services to be extended from Ardrossan, but significant work is still needed before we can reopen the line to Largs.

“At Fairlie, our engineers are tackling a huge landslip with 4,000 tonnes of debris having fallen onto the track from a hillside above.

“We are working as quickly as we can to restore services for all our customers and thank them, and our lineside neighbours, for their understanding during these recovery works.”

David Simpson, ScotRail operations director, said: “We are doing everything we can to keep our customers moving, with replacement buses helping those making essential journeys while these vital repairs are carried out.

“Our colleagues in Network Rail are working hard to allow services to return to normal, and we are working closely with them to ensure the line is reopened as quickly as possible.”

Passengers can check their journey at https://www.scotrail.co.uk/