THE SOUTHERN section of the Cross City Line has now re-opened after the problems of the last two days.
Engineers have removed both trees, cut back other vegetation, stabilised the embankment, fixed the damaged overhead power lines and completed their safety inspections late last night.
No trains ran yesterday after the re-opening because of the number of trains and crew which were ‘out of position’.
It is hoped a full service will run from first thing this morning but there may be some disruption and passengers are advised to check before they travel.
James Dean, chief operating officer for Network Rail’s London North Western route, said: “We did all we could to compete our surveys and repairs as quickly as possible and we’ve been able to give the all clear for the Cross City line to fully reopen.
“The embankment was saturated and we are investigating why but the cause of the earth movement is unknown at this stage. Our priority was to compete our safety checks, remove the trees and reopen the line as soon as possible.
“Thank you to passengers for their patience while we completed this emergency work – our advice is to check before you travel for the latest information.”
Richard Brooks, customer experience director for West Midlands Railway, said: “Now that the line has re-opened we will return our trains to their required positions and do all we can to run a full service from first thing this morning (August 16).
“We apologise for the disruption this week and advise that anyone affected should put in a claim for compensation through delay repay.”
The first tree fell late on Tuesday morning (14 August) and damaged the overhead power lines. Repairs were made and the line reopened late on Tuesday night – only for a second tree to fall and damage the power lines again shortly afterwards.
Repairs to the wires were made overnight but a survey of the land nearby revealed earth movement on the embankment.
For safety reasons, the railway remained closed while repairs took place.
Passengers can check for information at www.nationalrail.co.uk.
