Monday 23 Jan 2023
Line to reopen: Engineers have repaired the 10-metre Lingfield landslip, which closed the railway between Hurst Green and East Grinstead, Surrey
- Region & Route:
- Southern
- | Southern: Sussex
Passengers are being reminded to check before they travel tomorrow as the line between Hurst Green and East Grinstead is set to reopen tomorrow morning.
Network Rail engineers and contractors BAM Nuttall have worked around the clock to repair a landslip that closed the railway between East Grinstead and Hurst Green in Surrey, on Tuesday, January 17.
The line had to be blocked after a 10-metre stretch of a 7-metre- high embankment slipped away from the railway, around half a mile towards London from Lingfield station*. In addition, cracks spread six metres on either side of the slip site, leading to fears it could get worse if action wasn’t taken immediately.
Engineers installed a steel wall, made of 44, 10-metre-long steel piles, which will stabilise and support the embankment, using 50,000 tonnes of ballast, the stone that supports the track.
Before the line can fully reopen for passengers commuting tomorrow morning, a tamper train will be used to compact the ballast and make sure the newly laid track is properly aligned, while engineers relay power and signalling cables.
Network Rail’s route director for Sussex, Lucy McAuliffe, said: “I’m really pleased to say that we’re able to reopen the railway slightly earlier than expected ahead of our midweek target.
“Our teams and contractors have been working really hard to get the landslip fixed as quickly as possible and I’d like to say a huge thank you for their quick response and collaborative efforts.
“I’d like to thank our neighbours living alongside the railway for their patience whilst we carried out this crucial work and those passengers who were faced with more disruption last week. We are more than confident that the railway will be reopened from tomorrow morning but in the meantime please continue to check before you travel to be on the safe side."
Jenny Saunders, customer services director for Southern and Thameslink, said: "On behalf of our passengers we're grateful to Network Rail and their specialist engineers for making the line safe again so quickly after the landslip brought on by last week's heavy rain. Thanks also to our passengers for bearing with the alternative travel arrangements while this vital work was completed."
Notes to Editors
On landslips:
In the Southern region, we’ve suffered more than 200 earthworks failures in the past three years alone, and 25 of those have resulted in big line closures that have disrupted passengers. They’re becoming more and more frequent due to climate change. The Met Office says the UK has suffered 7 of its 10 wettest years on record since 1998, and more rain means more landslips…
The Southern Region looks after earthworks that if joined together would stretch all the way from Lands End to John O Groats. We have a £500 million-pound five-year budget to look after those earthworks. To rebuild or strengthen all of our earthworks would cost billions of pounds and close stretches of railway for very long periods. So, we focus on examinations so we know where to repair and mitigate, carry out regular drainage inspections and maintenance so the water can flow away and reduce the risk of landslips, and in some locations install electronic devices into the ground (remote condition monitoring) which monitor movement and send alerts if there is a landslip so we can close the line and keep passenger safe.
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