Friday 7 Feb 2014
More than 10,000 tonnes of stone and round-the-clock working needed to repair Sussex landslip
- Region & Route:
- | Southern
Engineers have started to build an access road to a remote section of railway at Whatlington Viaduct, near Battle in Sussex, in order to begin work repairing the damage caused by a serious landslip.
The line between Battle and Robertsbridge was closed on Tuesday for urgent repair work at two landslip sites, Whatlington Viaduct, and Marley Farm.
The estimated construction time has been halved through the decision to work 24 hours a day and it is anticipated that the railway will re-open to for passenger services in the last week of February.
Network Rail’s route managing director, Fiona Taylor, said: “We have got a massive job on our hands to rebuild the line at Whatlington, with at least 10,000 tonnes of stone needed to rebuild the embankment, all of which will be delivered to site by engineering trains.
“Safety is our priority and, for that reason, we cannot run trains at the same time as we do the work. We realise this has caused more disruption to passengers, for which I am very sorry. However, this work has to be done, and it has to be done safely. The weather this winter has been incredibly challenging and we appreciate passengers’ ongoing patience during this difficult period.“
Once the access road has been completed at Whatlington, machinery can be brought to the site, including two massive piling rigs. These will embed a 300 metre-long sheet steel wall in the ground and provide a stable base on which the new embankment will be built.
The slip near Marley Farm is smaller in scope, but will still require a 60m length of steel piles to be installed and 3,000 tonnes of stone delivered.
In the meantime, buses will replace trains between Battle and Robertsbridge, with a shuttle train service to Hastings from Battle and onwards from Robertsbridge to London.
Southeastern tickets will be valid on Southern services between Hastings and Ashford for the duration of the closure.
Notes to editors
Network Rail will be arranging a visit to the site when it is safe to do so.
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