Friday 27 January 2017 4:35 pm

The Lewisham train line is opening again on Monday after last week’s derailment

A 50m stretch of railway near Lewisham which was damaged when a freight train derailed earlier this week will open on Monday, Network Rail said – although it also warned commuters to check before they travel.

The company, which looks after the UK's rail networks, said "good progress has been made" on repairing the line, which was been shut since the train derailed.

Lee, Mottingham and New Eltham stations have been closed since the incident, while services from Cannon Street have been cancelled or rerouted.

Network Rail said that as well as a section of track, the derailment destroyed part of a junction. Of the two wagons which derailed, one was left on its side, and needed to be craned back onto the tracks, while 30 tonnes of sand needed to be removed by hand.

30 tonnes of sand had to be removed by hand (Source: Network Rail)

Southeastern, the train operator affected, said it was offering Delay Repay compensation at double the normal value to passengers whose journeys were prolonged by half an hour or more because of the incident.

“We know the freight train derailment this week caused our passengers a great deal of inconvenience," said David Statham, managing director at Southeastern.

“Network Rail engineers have been working around the clock to get the freight train moved and the track fixed.

"Their hard work means the reopening of the railway is on target and this will allow us to run normal services again at the start of next week. I would to thank our passengers for their patience and ask them to please check before they travel on Monday morning.”