THE West Coast Main Line is to remain closed in southern Scotland until March, Network Rail has warned, as repairs continue at Lamington Viaduct. It has been revealed that recent flood damage was so serious that the whole structure came close to collapsing.
The viaduct, which bridges the Clyde, was severely affected by Storm Frank on New Year's Eve, but engineers have now discovered that more damage was caused by high water levels in the early part of January.
Engineers have been working to divert the river with more than 1,500 tonnes of stone and stabilise the structure after the viaduct’s second pier had been left on the brink of collapse.
Although the pier was stabilised on 13 January with the aid of more than 300 cubic metres of fast-setting concrete, structural checks have now revealed more damage, including three steel bearings which support the bridge deck.
Network Rail said the damage is 'worse than previously thought, requiring more time and significantly more work to properly stabilise the structure'.
ScotRail Alliance managing director Phil Verster said: “The damage caused by Storm Frank to the Lamington Viaduct has been very serious. Our engineers have been in a race against time to get the structure stabilised and prevent it from collapsing into the Clyde. Only now that we have won that race can we really see the full extent of the damage.
“The damage from the floodwaters is significant. We have had to use hundreds of tonnes of rock to divert and reduce the flow rates at the piers and an extraordinary amount of concrete just to stabilise the second pier. Unfortunately the scale of the damage and the complex nature of the engineering challenges means that the repair is going to take longer than we initially thought.
“All of the train companies who operate services on the West Coast Main Line are working together to make sure that we keep goods and people moving. The temporary timetables and arrangements are going to have to continue. That is why it is so important that anyone who is travelling on this route checks their travel details before they travel. All the companies have information on their websites and have staff ready to answer any questions you might have.
“We are doing everything we can to get the repairs done and the line reopened quickly and safely.”
Phil Bearpark of Virgin Trains added: “Safety is our priority and we fully support Network Rail in their work to repair the Lamington viaduct."
Trains have been diverted via Dumfries. Mr Bearpark explained: "This means that journeys take around an hour longer than normal but customers travelling between Glasgow and Carlisle are able to take a replacement train rather than a bus.”
Engineers will install additional concrete supports on either side of the second pier to strengthen the structure, before installing additional rock anchors and mini piles through the pier’s foundations. Structural repairs to the third pier will also be completed and the course of the river widened. Network Rail engineers say this will reduce future water pressure on the structure.