Media centre

Friday 15 Apr 2016

Residents thanked as work continues to repair landslip between Carlisle and Newcastle

Region & Route:

| Eastern

Residents and motorists have been thanked for their patience as work continues at the site of a landslip outside Hexham which caused the railway to be closed for several weeks.

Unprecedented levels of rainfall caused a landslip back in January at Farnley Haugh, with over 35,000 tonnes of earth sliding down from nearby fields onto the West Line which carries trains between Carlisle and Newcastle.

What followed was a 24/7 clean up job to firstly clear the railway of debris and then repair the damaged track below, with passenger services returning to normal on the morning of Monday 8 February.

While services have been running smoothly since then, work on the site has continued as engineers work to rebuild the bank side in a bid to prevent a repeat incident in the future.

So far over 40,000 tonnes of earth and other materials has been moved from bank into nearby fields, with pitch stone protection being laid to strengthen the hillside above the tracks. A new three metre drain has also been fitted to help carry water away from the area more quickly in the future.

The site compound, which has been situated in a field just off the A695 since January, has meant temporary traffic lights have been required to control traffic, but this week the lights were removed meaning less inconvenience for motorists.

Engineers from CML, who are carrying out the work on behalf of Network Rail, expect to be on site for three more months.

Rob McIntosh, route managing director for Network Rail said: “Our first priority was to get the railway open again for passengers which we achieved back in February. Since then we have been working hard to rebuild the embankment and make improvements to the drainage to prevent another incident in the future, all without causing any disruption to train services.

“I’d like to thank those who live near or travel past the site for their patience while we have been carrying out these repairs and we will continue to keep any disruption to a minimum for the remainder of the work.”