Engineers work to reinstate train services following Baildon landslip

Network Rail teams are working around the clock to reinstate train services following a landslip in Baildon, West Yorkshire.

Engineers arrived onsite on Monday 5 February after receiving reports of cracks in a cutting slope near the railway.

Over the past week, the land has slipped, and work is now due to begin on repairing the cutting slope and reinstating trains through Baildon. Early estimations suggest that the line could reopen in mid-March.

Train operator Northern is running rail replacement services for passengers travelling on the affected Bradford Forster Square to Ilkley line, and passengers are encouraged to check their journey before travelling – either via National Rail Enquiries or Northern’s website and social media channels.

Network Rail said that its engineers and contractors are continuing to support affected residents while work is carried out near their properties.

Richard Owens, Infrastructure Director for Network Rail’s North and East route, said: “We know that this incident is causing disruption to passengers. We are working to reopen the line as quickly and safely as we can and I encourage passengers to check their journey before travelling for the latest information, and thank them for their patience and understanding.”

Kerry Peters, regional director for Northern, added: “All services between Bradford Forster Square and Ilkley remain suspended following the landslip near Baildon station – however, services that run via Bradford Forster Square and Leeds and Leeds and Ilkley are not affected.

“A number of rail replacement services are in operation to ensure passengers can still get to where they want to be and we would encourage customers to ‘check before they travel’ to see how their journey is affected.

“We will continue to support Network Rail in any way that we can as they continue efforts to re-open the line.”

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