By Ashley Karen
From Monday 31 July to Friday 18 August, Network Rail and its contractor, AmcoGiffen, will begin working round the clock on the Severn Estuary line to enhance resilience.
Engineers are said to be working on a one-mile stretch of railway – close to Purton, and will pull about 15,000 tons of material from the cliff face.
Teams will then begin to install an ‘active’ mesh system covering 19,500m2 secured by over 5,000 rock bolts. This system will hold the cliff face in position and assist with preventing landslips from damaging and closing the railway subsequently.
This section of the railway is in great need of resilience advancements as it was hit by three landslips in January 2023 independently, following a bout of protracted heavy rainfall.
The Newport-Gloucester line was hit by five significant incidents recorded between 2020-2021, before phase one of this project last summer. These incidents have led to the railway’s vast closures and temporary speed restrictions, delaying over 200,000 trains.
Work carried out last summer stopped landslips on this section of the railway during January’s heavy rain, underlining the success of phase one and the requirement for this second phase of promotions on this vulnerable section.
The line will be temporarily closed during this work, so Network Rail and AmcoGiffen can carry out this work safely and efficiently.
CrossCountry trains and transport for Wales will be affected, and as reported, a rail replacement service will be put in place.
Route director for Network Rail Wales & Borders, Nick Millington, stated:
“The line between Newport and Gloucester is particularly vulnerable to landslips due to its exposed location along the Severn Estuary.
“We are seeing more frequent extreme weather events as a result of climate change, which is why we are prioritizing resilience projects like this, to protect vital passenger and freight links in the Wales and Borders route.”
He added: “This investment will ensure fewer closures and speed restrictions in the future, providing passengers and freight customers with a more reliable service.
“I’d just like to thank everyone for their patience while we safely carry out this essential work.”
Chief operating officer at Transport for Wales, Jan Chaudhry van der Velde, claimed:
“Work on the rail infrastructure to improve weather resilience has become more urgent, as climate change effects and severe weather have disrupted train services on several occasions in recent years.
“We will be providing buses in place of trains during this work to keep passengers moving and thank passengers in advance for their patience.
“The long-term benefits will bring more reliable train services. During the works, we ask customers to check before setting off at www.journeycheck.com/tfwrail.”
Huw Margetts, CrossCountry’s regional director, expressed:
“This Latest piece of work is essential for us to keep delivering our popular services between Wales and England for many years to come.
“We’ve worked closely with Network Rail and Transport for Wales to keep any inconvenience to a minimum, but I wanted to thank our passengers for their patience while this stage is completed.”
Operation director for Wales & Borders at AmcoGiffen, Andy Crowley, pointed out:
“Climate Change continues to be an industry and global challenge and this next phase of the Severn Estuary Earthwork project will provide further resilience to this section of the route, thereby enhancing the passenger experience and strengthening the reliability of freight services.
“AmcoGiffen and their sister company QTS are delighted to have been selected by our client Network Rail to support this next step in their strategic resilience program. We look forward to demonstrating to the route how our innovative in-house plant and teams can help support our clients’ strategic visions.”
Network Rail’s work to make the Newport-Gloucester line more resilient is due to continue until 2026.
