Network Rail has released time-lapse footage of the work carried out on a railway embankment on the West Coast mainline.

The line reopens to trains tomorrow (Saturday 13th February) after engineers spent 17 days rebuilding the embankment at Hillmorton Junction, near Rugby, on the line between Milton Keynes and Birmingham.

The landslip, which occurred on 27th January, is thought to have been caused by Storm Christoph’s very heavy rain

The work on the 40-metre wide, 10-metre high embankment saw 10,000 tonnes of stone laid to improve drainage. In addition, new foundations and special pins have been installed to prevent future movement.

While the repairs took place, passenger and freight services operated on a route via Northampton. The embankment will be replanted later this year so it will blend into the landscape again.

Ellen Wintle, infrastructure director for Network Rail‘s West Coast South route, said: “I’m really proud of my team for working all hours to get this vital section of the West Coast main line secure and back up and running again for our passenger and freight customers.”

“Because this landslip was spotted early we were able to control the damage and carry out repairs quickly, reducing the length of time passengers and freight would be disrupted. I thank people whose essential journeys were slightly longer during the work for their patience while we worked tirelessly to make the railway safe and secure again.”

Gus Dunster, executive director of operations & safety for Avanti West Coast, said: “We would like to thank Network Rail’s team of engineers for working around the clock, in challenging weather conditions, to get the line reopened so quickly.”

“We have worked hard with all our industry partners to keep delays and disruption to a minimum during these works, and we would like to thank our customers for their patience and understanding during this time.”

Lawrence Bowman, customer experience director for London Northwestern Railway, said: “I would like to thank our customers making essential journeys for their patience and understanding while Network Rail carried out these important repairs.”

“I am pleased we’re now able to reinstate our services at stations along the Trent Valley from this weekend. The response to this incident has been a great example of the rail industry working together in the best interests of passengers.”

Yesterday (Thursday 11 February), Member of Parliament for Rugby Mark Pawsey visited the site to see the mammoth engineering job for himself.

He said: “As someone who regularly uses the railway to travel between Rugby and London, I was keen to visit the site of the landslip and see for myself the progress being made to resolve this issue. It’s very impressive to see how swiftly Network Rail’s team have been able to restore the embankment, especially in the very challenging weather conditions of recent days.”

“I also wanted to thank Network Rail’s key workers, who have kept the trains running throughout the lockdown. As part of the ongoing work to the embankment, Network Rail told me that they will ensure that the biodiversity on the site will be maintained and improved through a new planting scheme which I know will be appreciated by local residents.”

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