Line reopens ++ The railway between Hurst Green and East Grinstead in Surrey is set to reopen this morning, after it had been blocked by a landslip last Thursday. Network Rail engineers and BAM Nuttall have been working continuously to repair the line after a 10 metre stretch of a seven metre high embankment slipped away from the railway, around 800m from Lingfield in the up direction. Cracks also spread six metres on either side of the slip, leading to fears it could get worse if action wasn’t taken immediately. Engineers have installed a steel wall, made of 44 10 metre steel piles, which will stabilise and support the embankment. The engineers have also used 50,000 tonnes of ballast. Meanwhile, work is continuing at the site of another landslip, near Basingstoke on the South Western Main Line, which occurred about ten days ago. South Western Railway was able to restore a limited service yesterday, although down trains are still unable to call at Hook.

Station ++ Work has started on building one of the stations on the Levenmouth line, which is being restored by the Scottish Government in a £116 million project. Cameron Bridge, just off the A915, will have two 196m platforms and serve Methilhill as well as Cameron Bridge. Network Rail will equip the new station with 125 parking spaces, a bus stop and footpaths. A new bridge will also be built over the river to provide a direct connection with Methilhill. Network Rail said the work will take about 10 months, and that the Levenmouth Rail Link should open in the spring of 2024.

New trains ++ Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram has been celebrating the introduction of new Stadler-built trains on the region’s local network. The first Class 777 unit carried guests on an inaugural trip from Liverpool Central to Kirkby yesterday morning. The Mayor said: ‘This is a massive day, not just for our area, but for the entire country, as we launch the UK’s first publicly-owned trains in a generation into service for the first time. Alongside the work we’re doing on buses, active travel and integrated ticketing, we’re bringing our transport network into the 21st century.’

Viaduct ++ The first V-shaped pier for 300m viaduct that will carry high speed trains to the new Curzon Street HS2 station in Birmingham has been completed. The pier, five metres tall, is the first to be installed for the ‘Curzon No. 3 Viaduct’, which will be the final approach to the seven platform station in the city centre, near the present station at Moor Street. A total 30 piers will be needed, and their heights will vary between five and six metres above ground level. They will include four steel tripod piers to span the Digbeth Branch Canal.

Transpennine leader ++ A new managing director has been appointed to lead the Transpennine Route Upgrade between Manchester and York. Neil Holm said: ‘There is an exciting future for rail in the North of England, and I am proud to lead a programme of thousands of brilliant people that will transform rail travel across the North in the coming years. Work is well underway.’ Before joining Network Rail, Neil was programme director for the construction of aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales.