Media centre

Monday 22 Jan 2018

Fort William-Mallaig landslide recovery update

Region & Route:

Scotland’s Railway: Scotland

The rail line between Fort William and Mallaig will remain closed for several days as engineers work to repair damage caused by a landslip near Glenfinnan.

Tonnes of stone and mud has been deposited on the track after the mountainside above the railway gave way over night on Sunday into Monday (January 22).

Trains between Glasgow Queen Street and Mallaig are terminating at, and starting back from, Fort William and a replacement bus service is in operation to keep passengers on the move between Fort William and Mallaig.

Work to clear the landslip from the line will only begin once engineers have completed checks, including aerial inspections, to ensure the slope above the railway is stable.

Recovery works are expected to start on Tuesday (January 23) and may take several days to complete.

David Dickson, ScotRail Alliance infrastructure director, said: “Our engineers are on-site assessing the damage and working to put plans in place repair to the line.

“We will reopen the railway as soon as possible, but significant work is required to clear the line and stabilise the slope above.

“We are grateful to customers for their patience during the disruption and buses are running between Fort William and Mallaig to help keep people on the move.”

Customers delayed by 30 minutes or more can claim a refund under ScotRail’s Delay Repay compensation scheme. Anyone wishing to claim should keep hold of their ticket and visit the ScotRail website.