Man charged after lorry crashes onto railway line

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A man has been charged after a lorry came off a motorway and crashed onto a railway line. Train services between Glasgow Central and Carlisle [1] via Dumfries have been disrupted following the incident, which happened near Gretna just before 8am on Friday.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service sent four appliances and a specialist unit to the scene close to Junction 22 on the A74(M), while the ambulance service sent an ambulance and a paramedic response unit.

Motorists are thanked for their patience Police Scotland Police Scotland [2] said that one man was taken to Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary as a precaution.

He has been charged in connection with an alleged road traffic offence, the force said. ScotRail [3] said services between Glasgow Central and Carlisle via Dumfries are likely to be disrupted for the rest of the day. Services to and from Glasgow will terminate and start back from Dumfries as stations between Dumfries and Carlisle cannot be served by train.

Phil Campbell, ScotRail customer operations director, said: "ScotRail services between Glasgow Central and Carlisle via Dumfries are currently disrupted following an incident between Gretna and Carlisle. "To keep people moving, customers with valid train tickets can travel on alternative routes where possible, with replacement buses also in operation. "Anyone delayed by 30 minutes or more can claim compensation through our delay repay guarantee."

ScotRail said customers can travel on Avanti West Coast and Transpennine Express services between Glasgow, Lockerbie and Carlisle. Network Rail said West Coast Main Line [4] services are not affected by the incident. In a post on X, it added: "We're still working with the emergency services dealing with an obstruction blocking the railway between Carlisle and Gretna, closing the Carlisle-Dumfries line."

Traffic on the motorway was disrupted during some of the afternoon to allow for recovery of the lorry. The A74(M) southbound near Gretna was reduced to one lane and the slip road for junction 22 closed for a time to allow for the recovery of the vehicle. Police Scotland said: "The incident was reported around 8am.

"A man was taken to Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary as a precaution. "The man has been charged in connection with a road traffic offence. Motorists are thanked for their patience."

A Scottish Ambulance Service [5] spokesperson said: "We received a call at 07.59 to attend an incident near Junction 22, on the M74, Gretna.

"We dispatched one ambulance and one paramedic response unit (PRU) to the scene.

One patient was transported to Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary."

References

^ Carlisle (www.independent.co.uk)
^ Police Scotland (www.independent.co.uk)
^ ScotRail (www.independent.co.uk)
^ West Coast Main Line (www.independent.co.uk)
^ Scottish Ambulance Service (www.independent.co.uk)