A damaged rail line between Fort William and Mallaig is expected to reopen on Monday, 29 January.

Network Rail said once engineers have completed repairs to damage caused by the 1,000-tonne landslip near Glenfinnan last Monday, the route will reopen to services at the beginning of next week.

Work is currently underway to dig out a train which was derailed by the landslip. Engineers will clear material away from the train, rerail the vehicle using specialist machinery and then complete work to clear the tracks.

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In addition, extra drainage will also be installed in the area and engineers will undertake further work to secure the slope above the line.

David Dickson, ScotRail Alliance infrastructure director, said: "Our team has been on site since Monday assessing the damage and making plans to repair the line.

"Our engineers have carried out survey work on the slope, on foot and from the air, to identify any further unstable material.

"We now have plans in place to allow us to safely work at the bottom of the slope and have begun the recovery operation to remove the train and repair the track.

"The isolated location, and steepness of the slope above, make this a complex recovery operation, but we will reopen the railway as soon as possible for passengers.

"We are grateful to customers for their patience during the disruption and buses are running between Fort William and Mallaig to help keep people on the move."

(LM/MH)