Scaffolding put up for £2.1m works at Yorkshire Dales landmark Ribblehead Viaduct

The 144-year-old Yorkshire Dales structure will have its drainage improved and brickwork restored, making journeys more reliable on the Settle-Carlisle railway for decades, says Network Rail.

The £2.1m investment in the Grade II listed structure is part of the Great North Rail Project.

Engineers are in the process of installing scaffolding to provide a safe platform to carry out repairs to the huge structure.

Phil James, North West route director at Network Rail, said: “It’s a privilege to look after so many significant buildings and structures across the rail network, but Ribblehead Viaduct has got to be one of the crown jewels of Victorian civil engineering.

“We know the structure is incredibly important both locally and internationally, and we want to give it the care and attention that it deserves so it can be enjoyed by future generations of passengers and sightseers.”

Network Rail is working closely with Historic England and the Yorkshire Dales National Park to ensure the work is “sympathetically” carried out in line with guidance for historically significant structures.

Paul Brown, chairman of the Friends of the Settle-Carlisle Line group, said: “This work has come about as a result of regular inspections of the Ribblehead viaduct. We work closely with Network Rail and welcome this investment in the line’s future.

“The Ribblehead viaduct was once seen as the route’s major weakness. It is now probably stronger than it was when the Victorians built it. This work is needed to keep it that way.”

The Ribblehead Viaduct opened in 1876, bridging the gap between the Dales beauty spot by Whernside and Dent on the exposed and windy Batty Moor.