Media centre

Tuesday 6 Sep 2016

Local politicians inspect landslip repairs on railway between Buxton and Manchester

Region & Route:

| North West & Central

Local politicians have seen first-hand the scale of the repairs needed to reopen the railway between Buxton and Manchester after a significant landslip closed the line in June.

Macclesfield MP David Rutley and Cllr Harold Davenport from Cheshire East Council visited the area last Wednesday (31 August) and saw the scale and complexity of the work to restore the line between Middlewood and Disley where flash floods on Sunday, 12 June and Monday, 13 June caused 6,000 tonnes of earth and material to be dislodged and washed away beneath the railway.

Following extensive damage to this stretch of track, Network Rail’s orange army worked quickly and safely to repair the damage, reopening the railway to passengers in less than two weeks.

David Rutley MP for Macclesfield said: “It was impressive to see the quality of the major repairs at Disley and Middlewood stations after the flooding in June. The Network Rail team deserves real praise for their speed of response and for making passenger’s safety a clear priority.”

Tony Butler, route asset manager for Network Rail, said: “We welcomed the opportunity to show David Rutley MP and Councillor Harold Davenport the extensive repairs we undertook to the railway following the storm damage earlier this year.

"We were committed to reopening the railway for passengers as quickly and safely as possible and trains were able to run less than two weeks after 6,000 tonnes of earth and material were washed away.

“The work we have undertaken will mean the railway in this location will be more resilient to extreme weather, resulting in a more reliable service for passengers.”

ENDS