The M6 motorway in Cumbria has reopened 13 hours earlier than scheduled after work to push the new Clifton Bridge was completed.

The structure was pushed into place after being built near the site.

Work saw the old bridge demolished last weekend during the closure of the motorway.

With the new structure now in place, the motorway has reopened, and railway engineers can now get on with the task of installing ballast, track and overhead wire equipment.

The railway will remain closed until January 15th. Trains can run as far as Oxenholme Lake District and then a rail replacement bus will operate to Carlisle.

Alternatively, Avanti West Coast are running a diverted service via the Settle and Carlisle line, using their Class 805s. A video of the diverted services can be found below.

“It’s a testament to the hard work of hundreds of people that we’ve been able to install this huge new structure both successfully and speedily. We’ve been in close contact with National Highways throughout so we could capitalise on that and get the M6 reopen over half a day ahead of schedule to alleviate pressure on local roads.

“I’d like to once again thank drivers for adhering to the road diversions, and also thank the local communities impacted by them this weekend, so we could carry out this vital work to secure journeys for both road and rail users in the future. Thanks also to the hundreds of people who came to see us move the bridge into place yesterday and the support and well wishes from residents in Clifton. Our focus now turns to final bridge checks before we reinstate the tracks, overhead power lines and signalling systems so we can fully reopen the West Coast Main Line by 5am on Thursday.”

Christian Irwin OBE, Network Rail North West and Central region Capital Delivery director