Landslip repair work blocks London Euston-Birmingham rail route

Tens of thousands of train passengers suffered severe disruption as repairs were carried out following a landslip on one of the UK’s busiest rail routes.

The incident between Coventry and Rugby blocked a section of the West Coast Main Line between London Euston and Birmingham New Street, Network Rail said.

Avanti West Coast and London Northwestern Railway services were affected.

Some passengers faced several hours added to journey times, with long diversions and rail replacement buses between Coventry and Northampton.

Following the landslip, which happened on Sunday, Network Rail closed the line in both directions on Monday night to carry out repair work.

The line was reopened on Tuesday afternoon.

Network Rail said soil had moved from an embankment on to the track near the village of Church Lawford after “persistent heavy rainfall weakened the earth beneath it”.

James Dean, route director for Network Rail, said: ”I’m sorry to passengers who’ve been affected by the closure of the West Coast Main Line while we completed emergency repairs to the landslip between Coventry and Rugby.

“I’m pleased to advise that we’ve reopened both tracks this afternoon – with a reduced speed limit – which means passenger and freight trains can run again.

“I want to thank passengers for their patience and ask those travelling to check www.nationalrail.co.uk for the latest journey information.”

Last month the Chiltern Main Line between London Marylebone and both Birmingham Moor Street and Oxford was closed due to a landslip near Bicester, Oxfordshire, causing major disruption.