During February 2026 GWSR suffered another land slip on the Malvern side of the embankment between Gotherington and Bishop’s Cleeve. This is unfortunately the 3rd slip in a short section of the line. A length approximately 20m long failed in a combined translational/rotational movement.
GWSR then engaged with the Geotechnical Consultancy, Tony Gee, to run analysis in order to support the Railway in implementing a risk management procedure for railway operations. Part of this process was to instigate a 5mph speed restriction in the area of the slip. Thankfully this has enabled the the railway to run passenger trains to Cheltenham Racecourse in the short term before the embankment could be remediated.
Subsequently Tony Gee were able to provide the Railway with a repair design which we are trying to complete before the Steam Gala at the end of May. The Steam Gala has services planned along the full line from Cheltenham Racecourse to Broadway. If the slip is not repaired then a revised timetable for the gala would be needed. This has potential to lead to significant disruption & to loss of revenue.
Last week the chosen contractor, RJ Clarke, started on site.
The first activity is the removal of the failed material (in both section and plan extents). This will continue on this week (further benching) prior to construction of a granular re-grade with a shallower slope angle to reinstate the crest line of the embankment.
The failed material is being spread at the toe of the embankment to provide extra stability as a toe weight and to also provide material for the granular material to key into.
Passenger services have now stopped mid-week to enable the contractor the best chance of completing the works in the tight timeframe. The railway is working hard to maintain as much of the advertised service as possible while ensuring the safety of our passengers, volunteers, and infrastructure. I will continue to provide updates as work progresses.
The railway is grateful to the supporting Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway Trust which is funding the repair costs. Donations to the Trust’s general funds can be made here: www.gwrt.org.uk/donate/how-to-donate
Thanks for taking the time to update publicly, it makes such a difference! :-)
ReplyDeleteVery much so!
DeleteYes, let me add my heart-felt thanks for the update, and the details therein!
ReplyDeleteLuckily the state of the embankment is such that the poor-quality material can be removed, without the remaining material (including the active track--bed) collapsing (as seen in bottom image). Equally happily, there's no rain at the moment, so the temporary vertical face around the removed material should be stable for the day or so needed to backfill with the new granular material. (And I hope I haven't jinxed the weather by saying that!)
Very interesting and helpful update. Thank you
ReplyDeleteGreat that this problem is being professionally expedited thus avoiding further deterioration that might have occurred in any ‘head-scratching’ delay. Thanks for keeping us informed.
ReplyDelete