Network Rail has been working with experts from the colliery since movement was detected in early February. Initial estimates had indicated the line could be restored as soon as July. However a combination of the difficult conditions and continuing bad weather mean that date is at risk, Network Rail said.
Work involves moving an estimated one million cubic metres of material.
Route managing director Phil Verster explained: “This site is incredibly complex and, if not properly managed, potentially dangerous. We have been actively involved on site for several weeks but the processes required to make the ground safe to work on are slower than we had hoped. I fully appreciate the importance of restoring a direct rail service to communities and businesses in Cleethorpes, Scunthorpe, Goole and other places affected by the slip and my team and I are committed to do so as quickly as possible. We continue to aim for restoration of services in July. However, we now anticipate that the railway may not be repaired until September this year.
“We will do anything we can do to safely accelerate the repair programme and to reinstate services. In the meantime we are working with the operators of passenger and freight traffic to make best use of the network during this difficult time. That process continues and if there are changes we can make to improve the service we are able to offer then we will. We remain grateful to the patience of passengers and freight customers as we deal with this issue.”
Continuing closure of the line has knock-on implications for planned engineering works elsewhere on the network in the region. These are having to be revised.
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