TRAIN commuters between Ardrossan and Largs will continue to face disruption until late March despite the line being extended to West Kilbride today (February 22). 

The line has been closed between Ardrossan South Beach and Largs since Friday, February 5, after heavy rain caused a series of landslips near Ardrossan, West Kilbride and Fairlie.

However, engineers have been working around-the-clock to remove debris and fix damaged embankments including repairing a 10m-long landslip below the line near Ardrossan and clearing over 300 tonnes of debris from the railway near West Kilbride with ScotRail services now being able to run to the village as of today (Monday).

READ MORE: WATCH | Ardrossan and Largs train disruption due to landslips

Despite this, work is continuing at Fairlie where a significant landslip outside the railway boundary has brought more than 4,000 tonnes of material onto the track, affecting a 100m stretch of line.

Engineers are currently working to clear the debris from the line and stabilise the slope above the railway.

Overhead power and track repairs will also be required at Fairlie before the line can fully reopen to Largs.

Work at this location will take until late March to complete.

To keep passengers moving while these vital repairs take place, ScotRail is also running a replacement bus service between Ardrossan South Beach and Largs.

Liam Sumpter, Network Rail Scotland route director, said: “The severe weather we experienced on February 5 has caused significant damage to the railway.

"Significant work is still needed before we can reopen the line to Largs.

“At Fairlie, our engineers are tackling a huge landslip with 4,000 tonnes of debris having fallen onto the track from a hillside above.

“We are working as quickly as we can to restore services for all our customers and thank them, and our lineside neighbours, for their understanding during these recovery works.”

Passengers can check their journey at www.scotrail.co.uk.