Emergency landslip railway repairs delays travel between Milton Keynes and Birmingham

All services are still running but are being diverted via Northampton, adding around 30 minutes onto journey times.

The disruption has been caused by heavy rainfall from last week during Storm Christoph.

While the work to shore up the moving land is ongoing, trains still passing through the affected area are doing so at slower speeds.

Yesterday (January 28) a train driver reported something unusual when travelling over the section of track at Hillmorton Junction south of Rugby.

The latest tests today (January 28) show the ground is still moving underneath several tracks on the West Coast main line.

Ellen Wintle, infrastructure director for Network Rail’s West Coast South route, said: “The sheer amount of rain we’ve had recently has caused the ground to slip, so we’re working hard to stabilise the area and put our plan into action for the repairs. Because this landslip was spotted early we have controlled the damage which means repairs can be carried out whilst keeping services running on the other tracks and we can continue to provide a safe and reliable railway for passengers and freight customers.

"I’d urge [passengers] to check National Rail Enquiries before setting off on their journey while we make sure passengers get the service they deserve on this absolutely vital part of railway between Milton Keynes and Birmingham.”