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Friday 25 Jan 2008

BANK SLIP NEEDS LONG-TERM FIX

Region & Route:

Around 100,000 tonnes of material will have to be removed from a bank in West Yorkshire which has caused disruption to rail services on the Hebden Bridge to Wakefield line. Already 40 tonnes of trees and earth have slipped down the bank at Elland after the heavy rain at the start of the week. Specialists have been on site removing that material and some freight services have been able to run today (Friday). Passenger services are still being diverted where possible and replaced with buses where no diversion is available. The situation is under constant review and services will be resumed when it is safe and practical to do so. Engineers estimate it could cost around £4m to get a permanent fix and rail services are likely to have some disruption for several months. Dyan Crowther, Route Director for Network Rail, said: "Although this site was not a problem for us during the floods last summer, engineers were already investigating what action was needed to stabilise the bank and a speed restriction had been placed on the lines to ensure safety. "We have teams of specialists on site who will continue to work around the clock to implement a long-term solution. In the meantime safety remains our number one priority. While we have re-opened one of the lines to freight, further work is needed to ensure that it is safe to run lighter passenger services. We are doing all we can to get passengers to where they want to be and - where possible - have put in diversionary routes. I apologise to passengers who have been disrupted and assure them that we are doing all we can to minimise the impact of extreme weather across the network." The site is difficult to get to as it is a considerable distance from any access points, and down a steep bank (40-45 degrees) which is covered in vegetation. A layer of weathered mudstones, perhaps 4 or 5 metres deep, is moving towards the railway. The rate of movement is dependent on the presence and volume of water. If we have more heavy rainfall it may be necessary to fully re-close the line for safety reasons. Passengers should contact National Rail Enquiries for the most up-to-date information on 08457 48 49 50.