Posted 12th March 2014 | 2 Comments
No end in sight for Hastings line landslip disruption
ENGINEERS rebuilding the damaged railway embankment at Whatlington in East Sussex, between Battle and Robertsbridge, have been hampered by further ground movement at the site.
Network Rail has been at work on the route since extreme weather caused three landslips in early February, and although the others at Stonegate and Battle have been repaired, the line must stay closed for now between Battle and Robertsbridge.
Network Rail said it had hoped that services could be restored along the full length of the Hastings line last week, but additional strengthening work is now needed before trains can run again.
Network Rail has bolstered its team with additional independent engineering experts to investigate and determine the causes of the continued ground movement, which it said 'is affecting the substantial repairs put in place and preventing the line from reopening'.
At the moment the company cannot say how long the closure will continue, because the continued movement is making it difficult to predict how soon the area can be stabilised.
Fiona Taylor, Network Rail's route managing director for Kent, said: “This has been a very difficult time for everyone using this stretch of railway and we appreciate passengers’ patience while we do the work that is needed. Despite extensive surveying and expert work we were disappointed that the ground around the landslip moved again. This area is still not safe and we have to undertake more detailed in depth ground investigations to determine why this happened.
“We are putting everything into determining these causes and what works we have to do to make this stretch of line and the embankment safe for trains to run on.
“We know that passengers will be frustrated by this but we want to assure them that their safety is our upmost concern and we are doing everything we can to get to the bottom of this serious problem and put in place a safe and resilient embankment for the Hastings line. I’d like to extend my thanks once again to Southeastern and their passengers for continuing to bear with us while we complete what has become a real engineering challenge.”
Reader Comments:
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Tony Pearce, Reading
Wasn't this the line famous for the Contractor who 'cut corners' by only lining his tunnels with one layer of bricks instead of the 3 he was meant to. If so I wonder if there were any other 'money-saving' tricks he employed ?
Tony Pearce, Reading
Landslips are caused mainly by water (rain or underground water) but also by removal of vegetation such as trees and saplings. A trigger is then usually needed to start the slide such (in this case perhaps) a heavy train running along the line. Embankments are of course just piled soil with steep sides and although the soil is compacted by use, they obviously become more potentially unstable whenever we have prolonged rain. From the published picture above there is a complete abscence of grass and trees, and the embankment looks exceptionally steep. If this winter is a pattern for the future then the railways are going to have a lot more such slides.