The railway line at Dawlish has been reopened just in time for the Easter holidays.

Network Rail made the announcement, which marked the culmination of eight weeks of repair works. The track was damaged by the severe weather in February, which triggered a landslide. 

Some 300 engineers worked on the project, which included rebuilding half of Dawlish station and installing a new platform and canopy. Workers also had to seal up the breach and fortify it with over 6,000 tonnes of concrete and 150 tonnes of steel.

Mark Carne, chief executive of Network Rail, commented: "Our army of engineers has done an amazing job of putting back together a railway that was ravaged by the elements."

The government estimated the local economies of Torbay, Cornwall and Plymouth were affected by an estimated £2 million drop in revenue each day as a result of the line closure. The prime minister stated reopening the network was a great day for the people of Dawlish and businesses across the south-west.