Hook landslip

The works

The slip, on the embankment to the northeast of Hook station, left only two tracks of the four-track railway passable by trains, with both tracks designed to be used by London-bound trains only. The track was moved onto a stable section of the embankment so that it was possible to have a line running in each direction. While it was an unusual approach to change the track layout, it meant more trains could run, giving customers a much better train service, while the long-term repairs took place.

The first assignment included constructing a 60-metre retaining wall, made up of almost one hundred 12-metre-long sheet piles which were driven into the ground to stabilise the embankment and protect the railway from future landslips. The steepness of the embankment slope was also regraded to reduce the risk of material falling.

The landslip was in a remote location, so a 580-metre-long access road has been built across fields to get materials and machinery to the site.

The works were accomplished on time, with the railway reopening to resume normal service for passengers on 13 February 2023. This successful delivery led to further work being awarded to futureproof the areas either side of the impacted area.

Collaboration

This project is another example of VolkerFitzpatrick collaborating with its supply chain partners to focus on our customer’s needs, with sister company VolkerRail (supplying Kirow cranes) and several core suppliers such as PodTrak, Universal Piling and Construction, Stuart Callaghan Surveyors and Fen Contracts all mobilising to support delivery.

Sustainability

This project is another example of VolkerFitzpatrick collaborating with its supply chain partners to focus on our customer’s needs, with sister company VolkerRail (supplying Kirow cranes) and several core suppliers such as PodTrak, Universal Piling and Construction, Stuart Callaghan Surveyors and Fen Contracts all mobilising to support delivery.