The dramatic landslide which wrecked a Doncaster railway line ten years ago this week

It looked like a new ride at Alton Towers – but a dramatic landslide which wrecked a Doncaster railway line ten years ago this week was no fun ride for commuters.
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It was on February 12, 2013 that a massive landslip caused the line between Doncaster and Goole to be buckled and twisted out of shape near to Hatfield Colliery in Stainforth.

The incident saw months of repairs and delays and frustrations for travellers, with the line not re-opening until the summer of the same year.

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Services between Doncaster, Scunthorpe and Cleethorpes were affected by the incident which saw a collapsed spoil tip raise the tracks by several metres.

The incident left tracks buckled and twisted. (Photo: Network Rail).The incident left tracks buckled and twisted. (Photo: Network Rail).
The incident left tracks buckled and twisted. (Photo: Network Rail).

Phil Verster, of Network Rail, said the closed line had forced passengers on to buses for almost six months and freight trains to take lengthy diversions.

The organisation, responsible for the railway infrastructure, said one million cubic metres of collapsed spoil heap had been removed and the heaps would continue to be monitored.

A train driver first reported concerns about buckling of the track a few days earlier but it was not until February 12 that pit staff raised the alarm after the track conditions worsened.

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The pit, then managed by Durham-based mining company Hargreaves Services, called in specialist civil engineers to tackle the problem and a spokesman said at the time: 'We have brought in a team of external civil engineering experts and as we speak they are conducting a thorough investigation and assessment.

'They are trying to work out the possible cause and best solution.'