After seven weeks of very hard work by Wensleydale Railway staff and volunteers, the damaged embankment at Akebar has been repaired and track is now being relaid across the site of the landslip.
The first passenger trains to call at Finghall Lane, Leyburn and Redmire this season will run on Saturday 13th April and the 10:00 and 12:00 from Leeming Bar are planned to be steam hauled by North Eastern Locomotive Preservation Groups class J72 locomotive no. 69023.
General Manager Nigel Park said:
This has not been the start to our 10th anniversary season we would have wished for, but the support of our members, shareholders and the local community has been fantastic and has enabled us to get the job done quickly. We are also grateful to our friends at Volkerail who are assisting us with the track laying. I am very grateful to our staff and volunteers who have put in many extra hours in difficult conditions and atrocious weather to ensure we can restore services to the western end of the line as early in the season as possible.
After the reopening, trains will run as advertised in the Railways timetable leaflet and website.
