I took the first train after the Grange derailment on Furness Line

But on Monday, exactly a month after the Northern service derailed on its approach to Grange, I stood on the platform at Lancaster waiting for a train heading to Barrow. Since the 5.18am train from Preston on March 22 derailed on its approach to Grange, a bus replacement service had been in place. 

The train after it derailed on March 22 (Image: Network Rail)

The passenger on the train said he heard a 'big bang and grabbed the table in dear life' when the carriage went off the track at around 6am.

I took the train going in the direction of Barrow from Lancaster (Image: Newsquest, Daniel Pye)

Although the rail operator was quick to put in the replacement service, it was not going to cross the bay as quickly as a train crossing the viaduct. 

This is something that Helen Dent, owner of the Grange Emporium, said in the usually busy Easter trading period in the town: "I've noticed it's very quiet. When the train is so quick from Arnside and Silverdale people jump on it. That 15 minute jump becomes an hour and a half of your life."

The train I took from Lancaster leaves me at Grange station (Image: Newsquest)

There was also controversy when it emerged that the bus was not stopping at Kents Bank. Northern said it had 'introduced the most resilient temporary timetable to help people get where they want to be.' 

Now, after an initial inspection by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch and weeks of work by Network Rail engineers, the train is back. 

Grange-over-Sands has not seen a train in a month (Image: Newsquest, Daniel Pye)

I notice one man in work overalls, presumably from a night shift, hop on the very long, but very empty, six carriage service. It is strange riding the train at this hour as it is before even most early morning commuters get on. 

After Carnforth, the train revisits the Arnside and Silverdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is too cloudy and hazy for a true sunrise but the early morning light adds a mystic quality to a landscape devoid of people. 

The historic Grange station, with Morecambe Bay in the background (Image: Newsquest, Daniel Pye)

Finally, we cross the viaduct. The tide was low, leaving space for seabirds to gather. We cross the derailment site without incident, and arrive at the historic Grange station. 

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I am greeted with a truly magnificent view over the bay, with only birdsong and the clack-clack of my train receding into the distance breaching the silence. 

I was treated to a magnificent view of Morecambe Bay (Image: Newsquest, Daniel Pye)

The Furness Line is not only a vital public transport link, it is one of the most picturesque rail journeys in England. There will be much for the accident investigators to consider but for now it is good to have it back.