Oban railway line to reopen more than a week after 100 tonne landslip at Ben Cruachan

A branch of the West Highland Railway Line is set to reopen after Christmas after it was closed following a 100 tonne landslip.

The Oban railway was closed on Monday, December 19 after a landslip occurred on Ben Cruachan’s lower slopes around 80 to 100m above the railway, which caused debris including boulders, trees and waterlogged soil to cover the tracks and the road 30m below.

The A85 road was also closed for a period of time in both directions 1km south east of the Falls of Cruachan earlier this week.

Network Rail has now confirmed that the Oban line will reopen on Tuesday, December 27 following work to repair the damaged tracks.

It said it would work around the clock over the Christmas period to fix the tracks and signalling system damage by the landslip.

A Network Rail spokesperson said: “The Oban line will reopen on Tuesday, Dec 27 following work to repair landslip-damaged tracks near Falls of Cruachan.

“Temporary repairs to the slope above the railway are complete.

“We’ll work 24/7 over Christmas to fix the track and damaged signalling system.”

Liam Sumpter, Network Rail Scotland route director, said: “Our engineers have worked as quickly as possible to complete these repairs and restore the road and rail links.

“This is a very challenging and complex project, with hundreds of tons of material having to be removed and significant repairs made to over 30 feet of the railway track.

“While we will be able to reopen the line for customers next week, our engineers will remain on-site into the new year working to further stabilise the slope above the railway at this location.

“We appreciate the inconvenience the closure of the railway has caused to passengers, and local communities, and we thank everyone for their understanding during these recovery works.”