Large landslides – Dealing with the impact of adverse and extreme weather events

Overview

This presentation will look at the how adverse and extreme weather events can re-mobilise historic landslides adjacent to the railway and how the Asset Owner manages the impact of these through the imposition of operational restrictions, instructing investigation and monitoring followed by design and construction of remedial works.

The presentation will use a current example of a site at Morpeth on the East Coast Mainline where the railway runs on an embankment above a large historic landslide whose movement accelerated during the wet winter of 2019/20 such that speed restrictions were imposed across all four lines.

Network Rail, Story Contracting and Pell Frischmann are working closely together to minimise the impact on the operational railway through design and construction of an interim measure to slow the movement while the long term remedial solution is being designed, procured and constructed.