Trains between Horsham and Dorking have returned to service after engineers worked day and night to repair the collapsed embankment at Ockley.
The route has been shut since 27 January when a nine-metre stretch of embankment gave way, leaving the rails hanging.
The Surrey landslip left the Horsham to Dorking railway track hanging in mid-air after the embankment collapsed. (Image: NQ)
Lucy McAuliffe, Network Rail Sussex route director, said: “The team worked around the clock to rebuild the railway at Ockley in just a few weeks, which is an incredible achievement, but we know how important this railway is to people and how crucial it was to get regular train services back on track.
“I’d like to say a huge thank-you to passengers and to the local community for their patience and support while we made the railway safe again.”
Crews initially had to build a concrete platform strong enough to take a 50-tonne piling machine.
They then put in 47 steel piles and dug out 2,800 tonnes of soil, before reshaping the slope.
Engineers also hammered 324 soil nails into the embankment to help stop it slipping again.
Materials were brought in by train, keeping the equivalent of 140 lorries off local streets, and protecting a nearby dormouse habitat.
Southern Rail laid on replacement buses during the closure, while other passengers were diverted via Gatwick Airport.
Jenny Saunders, customer service director for GTR, said: “It really is very good news that the landslip is now repaired and we can restore our full service.
“I am grateful for our passengers’ understanding and patience and thank Network Rail for reopening the tracks on time.”
During the closure, Warnham, Ockley and Holmwood stations were not served by trains, with passengers advised to allow 30-40 minutes extra for replacement transport.
Replacement buses were unable to serve Ockley because of a road closure between the A24 and the station, and passengers were told to use the platform emergency button to arrange onward travel.
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