Europe’s busiest mixed-use passenger and freight railway line, the West Coast Main Line, has been protected from river erosion in Cumbria.

The £550,000 has been invested as part of the Great North Rail Project to strengthen the banks of the River Leith which borders the West Coast mainline near Thrimby. The work involves replacing the river’s retaining wall to prevent erosion which could risk damage to the 40-meter railway embankment above it, made of modern, pre-cast concrete.

This allows the new wall and river banks to better absorb the power of the river with ‘rock armor’, reinforced matting and rock protection bags now in position.

Work took place in a wildlife conservation area and site of special scientific interest so was carefully planned by Network Rail‘s ecologists, and a dam was used to divert river water to create a dry working area.

In total, 170 precast concrete blocks and 40 cubic meters of concrete were used to complete the retaining wall, along with excavating 900 tonnes of spoil to strengthen the opposite river bank, and there was no disruption to train services while the work took place.

What did the officials say?

Jack Withers, Network Rail engineer said:

“Our £550,000 Great North Rail Project investment at Thrimby will keep passengers on the West Coast mainline through Cumbria moving safely for many years to come.

“Working closely with Natural England and Eden Borough Council, we’ve built a new wall to protect the railway embankment from erosion. This upgrade forms part of our ongoing program to put passengers first and provide a safe, reliable railway.”

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