VIDEO: End of March reopening for Redhill-Tonbridge railway after Edenbridge landslip

Network Rail has announced that work is well underway to repair the landslip on the Redhill to Tonbridge railway. The landslip is at a remote location between Godstone and Edenbridge.

Along with contractors from BAM Nuttall, Network Rail have been working to repair the damage caused after the landslip back in December.

The landslip is one of the largest landslips in the South East. It has taken several weeks to plan the works required to the line.

Recycled railway ballast will be used to carry out the repairs, which will arrive onto the site by rail and will build up a shallower slope on the 12m high embankment.

Due to the remote location, a road has been built across a field and a section of the embankment has been removed to allow access.

40,000 tonnes of ballast will be needed to carry out the repairs to the Edenbridge landslip. Each train will be carrying around 1,000 tonnes in each delivery.

Plans are also underway to reinforce a longer 400m section in the area. However, that work can be completed without affecting train services.

The area has seen around 6 months of rainfall in the space of 3 months

What did the officials say?

Network Rail Route Director for Kent, Fiona Taylor, said:

“This landslip is a serious challenge for us, not just because of the scale of the slide but also the remoteness of the location. To give you some idea of the size of the slip, we are having to bring 40,000 tonnes of stone in from as far away as Carlisle to build the bank back up again and we've had to cut through the remaining part of the railway just to gain access to it.

“Our passengers have been very patient with us and we are doing everything we can to speed this project along and working 24/7 to get the railway open. Once we have an exact date we will let everyone know and if we can achieve that earlier than the end of March then we will.”

Southern's Customer Services Director Chris Fowler said:

“We really appreciate our passengers' patience while this section of railway is rebuilt. Everyone is working together to keep passengers moving with replacement services and alternative travel options, including ticket acceptance on other lines and at other car parks. We welcome the good news that Network Rail has been able to start this challenging repair, allowing the line to reopen as soon as is safely possible, and we will support them in keeping you updated regularly on progress.”

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