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Wednesday 5 Feb 2025

Ground investigation work after gap appears beneath railway near Barnsley

Region & Route:

Eastern

| Eastern: North & East

Passengers are being advised of changes to services while important ground investigations take place north of Barnsley.

A gap between the rail and ballast was discovered under the track line near Darton in December.

The hole was quickly backfilled by Network Rail engineers but trains have been kept to a restricted speed of 20mph when passing this location.

Equipment was also installed to maintain 24/7 monitoring of this area.

Network Rail is ready to carry out detailed investigations of the ground as we look towards a longer-term solution.

The line will be closed from Saturday 15 February until Sunday 2 March to allow for this work, which includes drilling into the ground.

Arran Crawford, Network Rail route engineer, said: “We have worked hard to provide short-term measures and keep train services on the move, but we now need to establish the underlying cause of the loss of ballast seen in December.

“Our investigations so far have not identified a clear cause but given Barnsley’s strong coalmining heritage, it is crucial we explore if there have been any changes in the ground beneath the railway line.

“We’re sorry to passengers and residents affected while this work takes place, but it’s important this work is carried out as quickly and thoroughly as possible.”

Northern will run a reduced service between Sheffield, Barnsley, Leeds and Wakefield. Replacement buses will operate between Barnsley and Wakefield Kirkgate/Westgate.

Passengers should check all parts of their journeys with National Rail Enquiries before setting off.