Network Rail has worked together with the local farmer in Cumbria to keep passengers and freight on the move.
The 100ft tree was spotted leaning dangerously close to the railway at Floriston in Cumbria during Storm Corrie which saw winds hitting speeds of more than 90mph right across the north of the UK.
If the tree had completely fallen during the storm it could have landed on the track which would have seen the overhead power lines brought down and the line blocked.
The local farmer worked alongside the Network Rail team in order to remove the tree safely and keep passengers and freight on the West Coast mainline moving.
Garry Cunningham from Network Rail's off-track team said: “I'm really pleased my team spotted the risk and were able to act quickly and safely to keep passengers on the move.
“It's important we identify dangerous trees before they damage railway infrastructure, particularly now we are seeing more extreme weather like the recent high winds.
“I'd also like to thank the farmer for kindly offering his tractor and winch to help safely remove the tree. We really appreciate the assistance!”
A major transport route for Britain, the West Coast mainline sees 46 passenger trains and seven freight trains which carry around 18,500 tonnes of goods such as medical supplies, bananas, pasta, loo roll and other essentials passing through the England Scottish border at Gretna every 24 hours. The following day many of these goods are for sale in supermarkets and high street stores.
I wish the York Office would engage with me about 400m of fence they put up in the wrong place. 4 years on and over £10000 in legal fees the matter is still not resolved. People leave and the matter keeps getting pushed back
As if it’s something new! Network Rail’s predecessors always worked with adjoining farmers. I spent an awful lot of my time on the railway doing so. Pity Network Rail’s York office didn’t do so.