THE rail line between Kilmarnock and Dumfries is expected to remain closed until the middle of August while engineers work to move a derailed train from a site near Cumnock in Ayrshire.

To remove the 18 freight wagons, engineers will first construct an access road to the site for the 1000 ton crane required to lift the vehicles back onto the line.

Work starts today and it is expected the line will not open until Monday August 17.

It has been further complicated by the need to ensure there are no mine-workings located in the area beneath the derailment.

David Dickson, infrastructure director for the ScotRail Alliance, said: “Every effort is being made to recover the line and restore a full service for passengers as quickly as possible.

“Our engineers will be working around-the-clock to remove the derailed wagons and repair the damaged track beneath.

“This is a very complex operation and we will need to build an access road for a 1,000tn crane, which will then have to be built on site, before we can remove the wagons and repair the track.

"We understand the inconvenience this incident has caused passengers and replacement buses are in operation to serve the stations affected by the recovery works.”

The derailment occurred at around 11:20am on Saturday, August 1, when two ballast trains bringing materials into a track renewals worksite collided. No-one was injured as a result of the incident, which is currently under investigation by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB).

Due to the incident, train services between Glasgow Central and Carlisle, via Dumfries, are suspended between Kilmarnock and Dumfries, with Auchinleck, New Cumnock, Kirkconnel and Sanquhar stations being served by replacement buses.

ScotRail customers travelling between Glasgow and Carlisle can use their tickets on TransPennine Express and Virgin Trains’ west coast mainline services.