Rail journeys between Scotland and England will continue to be disrupted until next week after torrential rain caused a major landslide.

Railtrack said it expected repairs on the east coast main line at Cockburnspath, East Lothian, to take until Monday to complete.

Damage to the track, signalling and overhead wiring forced the closure of the line between Innerwick and Berwick.

No trains are running between Berwick and Edinburgh and a replacement coach service is in operation.

GNER is advising passengers travelling to and from Scotland to allow at least 45 minutes extra journey time and to check arrangements before travelling.

Bus link

Railtrack Scotland director Janette Anderson apologised to travellers and stressed: "They should be assured we are doing everything possible to restore the line as quickly and safely as possible."

Another rail operator using the line, Virgin, said passengers should use either the bus and GNER link, connecting with Virgin Trains at Newcastle or York, or travel via Carlisle.

Where possible, freight services, such as mail, coal and steel are being diverted from Newcastle via Carlisle on the west coast main line to and from Scotland.

Most other rail routes on the Scottish network, which were affected during Tuesday's torrential rain, have now been restored after engineers worked round the clock to repair the damage.

Highland line closure

Meanwhile, Railtrack will begin a �4.5m engineering programme on the Inverness to Perth line on Saturday.

The week-long programme - over 110 miles of track - includes major structural works on one of Scotland's most historic railway bridges, Moy Viaduct, south of Inverness.

The line will be closed for seven days from Saturday night the following Sunday morning.