Baildon railway landslip: Two homes need to be demolished

Engineers have been at the scene since the start of February after cracks emerged in an embankment near the Baildon's railway station.

As a result, all lines through Baildon remain shut and train services have been suspended while repairs continue to be carried out. 

Network Rail previously said it expects services to resume in the middle of March.

But as April approaches, Network Rail announced it has been "unable to make any meaningful progress on site for several weeks".

The railway company said it now has "no remaining options" and will need to demolish two properties by the affected line.

A Network Rail spokesperson said: "Passengers who rely on this line have been inconvenienced by its closure since February 9, and for safety reasons, we have been unable to make any meaningful progress on site for several weeks.

"We are obliged to do everything we can to reopen this vital rail link for passengers, school children and their families, stakeholders and the broader West Yorkshire economy. 

"We have been in discussions with various third parties since this incident was first reported to us six weeks ago, but the complex nature of the site and the critical need to reopen the line means that regrettably, we now have no remaining options but to use our statutory powers to allow us to resume the repairs to this site which will allow trains to start running again." 

According to Network Rail in the middle of February, engineers were removing more than 2,500 tonnes of soil from the slope in a bid to relieve the pressure on the land and protect the railway line below.

Work was being carried out around the clock with specialist engineering trains being used on site.

Richard Owens, infrastructure director for Network Rail's north and east route, described it as a "large-scale piece of work".

The infrastructure director said: "This is a large-scale piece of work, and our engineers are working flat out to repair and strengthen the slope and to get train services running through the area once again.

"We are continuing to engage with members of the nearby community regarding the work and want to thank them for their patience and understanding while we are working on site."