Media statement - Harbury tunnel landslip

Sunday 1 Feb 2015

Media statement - Harbury tunnel landslip - update 1 Feb

Region & Route:: National

At around 3pm yesterday (Saturday 31 January), there was an extremely significant landslip in the Harbury area between Leamington Spa and Banbury affecting both train lines and the tunnel.

After an initial assessment it is estimated that around 350,000 tonnes of material will need to be removed and the line between Leamington Spa and Banbury will have to remain closed for at least one week to allow for an investigation to determine the scale of the problem.

Engineers are currently monitoring the site today (Sunday 1 February) to see if it continues to move and to know if it’s safe to begin a detailed assessment, which may take several days. This is a known problem area experiencing elevated levels of ground water and engineers continue to work with local landowners to try and rectify and control the situation safely.

Customers using Chiltern Railway and Crosscountry services are asked to check the National Rail website before they travel for any service modifications www.nationalrail.co.uk

Services between Manchester and Bournemouth and Newcastle, Reading and Southampton are currently being disrupted. There are bus replacement services operating between Leamington Spa and Banbury (and between Leamington Spa and Oxford for Sunday 1 Feb only). A revised service is in effect between Banbury and Marylebone, Birmingham and Leamington Spa, and Stratford upon Avon and Leamington Spa. Passengers for London are encouraged to drive to Banbury and use the large multi-storey carpark there. For those travelling north, Warwick Parkway is the best station to drive to.

We apologise for the disruption caused and will provide further updates tomorrow (Monday 2 February).

Please visit the Chiltern Railways website www.chilternrailways.co.uk and the Crosscountry website www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk for more information

Contact information

Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41

Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries

Journalists
Network Rail press office - National
020 3356 8700
mediarelations@networkrail.co.uk

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