THE railway line linking Oxfordshire to the north of England will open next Friday, three weeks earlier than expected.

It has been closed since 31 January following a 350,000-tonne landslip near the Harbury cutting.

Network Rail has now confirmed that work on the site, originally anticipated to go on until Easter, has progressed rapidly and will allow the line to reopen on 13 March.

The line constitutes part of a key route between Birmingham and London, and is normally used by 130 trains every day.

Chief executive Mark Carne said: "Thousands of passengers, and thousands of tonnes of freight, rely on this vital route every day. We have been working around the clock and are able to reopen the railway three weeks ahead of the original estimate.

“We have secured the cutting and made it safe, and will carry out long term repairs which will significantly reduce the chances of similar incidents in the future.

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“I would like to thank passengers and the residents of Harbury for their ongoing patience while we fix the landslip and carry out further repairs ahead of the reopening.”

Oxford Mail:

Overnight freight trains may begin to use the line earlier in the week, with work continuing in daylight hours ahead of a full reopening.

Andy Cooper, managing director of CrossCountry, said: “The early completion of the work is great news.

"The priority now is to rebuild our customers’ confidence in a reliable rail service, part of which will be the ongoing work to ensure such events are not repeated.”

Oxford Mail:

Oxford Mail:

Oxford Mail: