EDINBURGH
(Reuters) - Thousands of travelers were stranded on Monday when
Britain's mainline railway between Edinburgh and London was blocked
by a landslide caused by torrential rain, officials said.
Around 20
trains in each direction had to be canceled, triggering chaos
and misery for people hoping to get home after the long Bank Holiday
weekend.
Train operator
Great North Eastern Railways said the landslide occurred near
Grantshouse, south of Dunbar in the Scottish Borders region, and
had completely blocked the line for most of the day.
``The line
goes through a bit of a cutting and a whole load of mud and debris
seems to have just slid down the hill,'' a spokesman said.
He said earthmoving
equipment was at the scene and engineers from rail network operator
Railtrack (RTK.L) were hoping to clear the line some time during
the night.
The engineers
would only be able to see if the track had been damaged when the
mud had been removed, the spokesman said.
|
