Work to demolish landslip-hit homes near railway line is underway

WORK is underway to demolish two homes near a landslip-hit railway line in a Bradford district town.

Cracks emerged in an embankment close to Baildon's railway station in February.

Last month, Network Rail said it would need to knock down two properties by the line as they were structurally unsafe following the landslip.

When the Telegraph & Argus visited the site earlier, demolition work was taking place. 

The scene in Baildon earlier (Image: Newsquest/Mike Simmonds)

One of the houses has been knocked down and preparatory work is underway at a second property next door ahead of its demolition, according to Network Rail.

The rail company said it "deeply sympathised" with the homeowners affected and would continue to make "every effort to look after their interests".

All lines through Baildon remain shut and train services have been suspended while repairs are carried out.

The line is expected to reopen at the end of June.

It had been due to open again in the middle of March - but Network Rail previously said its engineers had been "unable to make any meaningful progress on site for several weeks" for safety reasons.

Today, the organisation said engineers had restarted their work at the site of the landslip.

A Network Rail spokesperson said: "Services through the town have been suspended since February 9, and after repair work was paused due to complex issues on site, work that will allow trains between Ilkley and Bradford to resume is now well underway.

"The volume of work required means that the line is expected to reopen at the end of June.

The landslip from above (Image: Network Rail)

"Northern has operated a rail replacement service since the beginning of the closure which will continue to connect passengers through the area.

"Passengers are advised to check their journey before travelling via National Rail Enquiries or Northern's social media channels and website."

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Jason Hamilton, route director for Network Rail's north and east route, added: "I want to thank passengers and the community for their ongoing patience, and can assure them that work is now well underway towards getting the line reopened as quickly and safely as possible."

Bill Woulds lives near the landslip but his property was not affected.

He told the Telegraph & Argus in February: "We've been here for nearly 30 years and we've never seen anything like this - it is rather worrying.

"We wish the people in the affected properties well - nobody wants something like this to happen to them."