A LANDSLIP on a main London-bound train line near Leamington is set to cause major disruption for at least a week.
Tons of soil and rock slipped onto the Chiltern main line near the Harbury tunnel at around 3pm on Saturday afternoon (January 31).
Bosses say the line is likely to be closed for at least a week between Leamington and Banbury with replacement bus services running between the two stations adding an estimated 90 minutes onto journey times.
Network Rail described the landslip as ‘extremely significant’, and said the tunnel has also been affected in what was a known problem area.
Engineers are currently working with local landowners and assessing the situation to see how stable the area is before any work can start.
Chiltern Railways said around 350,000 tonnes of earth and stone needs to be excavated to prevent further probelms. And bosses say they anticipate this will require around 20,000 lorry loads of earth being removed from the site.
Network Rail has suggested commuters drive south to Banbury while passengers travelling towards Birmingham are being advised to use Warwick Parkway.
Revised train timetables have been introduced on either side of the blockage and tickets are valid on all similar routes, including Virgin and London Midland services from Coventry to London.
