Network Rail invests £41M in North West winter resilience

Network Rail has invested £41 million in earthwork schemes across the North West of the UK to improve the resilience of rail routes to winter conditions. The preventative projects, completed over the last year, have strengthened railway embankments and cuttings from the Peak District to Cumbria.

These works involved installing railway drainage, rock netting, land regrading, and strengthening systems such as soil nails and rock anchors to prevent earth movement next to certain railway lines. The aim is to prevent disruption from heavy rainfall and storms, which are predicted to be more frequent and severe.

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Major Projects Undertaken

Three significant schemes were undertaken. An £11.5 million project at Shale Cutting on the Settle to Carlisle route focused on drainage and earth stabilisation. This involved strengthening the cutting with soil nails and rock anchors and installing 503 metres of new drainage to manage water around the railway. Following completion, the surrounding land was reinstated with reseeding, dry-stone wall restoration, and new wildlife habitats.

In Derbyshire, £9.5 million was spent on embankment upgrades between New Mills and Hague Bar. This work accelerated earthworks to stabilise a high-risk embankment section and improve water management. Further surveys and hydraulic modelling are now being used in the surrounding area to inform long-term solutions.

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Additionally, £2 million was invested in rock netting and anchors at Shap on the West Coast Main Line in Cumbria. This work, completed in January, involved clearing vegetation, removing loose material, and installing anchors and rockfall netting to strengthen defences against loose rock reaching the tracks.

We’re no stranger to storms in the North West, especially in the winter, and these multi-million-pound projects have been prioritised to prevent disruption for passengers on some of our most exposed and remote sections of railway.

Rob Stephens, Network Rail North West route engineering director

Rob Stephens, Network Rail North West route engineering director, stated that these projects were prioritised to prevent disruption for passengers on exposed and remote sections of railway. He added that Network Rail teams have also been clearing drains, cutting back trees, and checking infrastructure to pre-empt problems. This preparation ensures readiness for weather extremes, which are becoming more frequent and ferocious, to keep passengers and freight moving safely.

Winter Preparedness

All three major projects were deliberately carried out ahead of winter. This timing is in response to forecasts predicting a potentially stormy season, influenced by global weather patterns affected by the El Niño climate phenomenon. The work aims to ensure the railway network is better prepared for extreme weather events.