Race to Re-open the Cambrian Line
Whether it’s a single blocked culvert or a devastating flood, we’re a safe pair of hands that you can trust to put things right. And, that’s exactly what we did following severe washouts in Wales. Working together with Network Rail and supply partners to quickly and safely re-open the railway line for passengers.
In February, Storm Franklin wreaked havoc throughout the UK, leaving behind a trail of damage in its wake. The storm caused the River Severn to flood, with water rising 3.9 metres above normal levels, leaving extensive damage on the Cambrian Line between Newton and Shrewsbury.
The line was closed on Monday 21 February, taking ten days for the river to fully recede before our teams could access the area to assess damage and begin repair work. To begin with, it was thought that just 12 areas were affected with ballast washed away but as work continued we found 33 locations across a half-mile stretch were impacted by the damage.
Our engineers, working with Network Rail and suppliers worked continuous 24/7 shifts to repair the line, ready to reopen for passengers in six short weeks on Sunday 3 April.
The scope of work included; removing 3,000 tonnes of debris, laying 4,000 tonnes of new ballast, re-aligning and levelling the track, replacing 800 metres of double track, planting new hedgerows, clearing 11 culverts and installing new fencing and telecoms cables.
Other significant resilience work that we’ve carried out on this line was Black Bridge where we raised the bridge one metre out of the flood zone.
