Protecting the environment and completing stabilisation works 9-hours early
Our Team Wessex colleagues successfully completed a five-day blockade at Crewkerne tunnel, carrying out stabilisation works on the cutting along the West of England line.
The team installed 131, 6-metre-long soil nails along the bottom of the cutting; despite several challenges including poor weather conditions and re-planning to prevent disturbing dormice nests discovered at the crest of the cutting (where exclusion zones were implemented, and equipment and plant were delivered via rail instead of road). All thanks to the collaborative effort from all those involved, the site was handed back nine hours early, safely and more soil nails were installed than originally planned.
The team are currently working closely with ecologists to obtain a dormice license to allow the remaining nails to be installed at the top half of the embankment and are identifying methods to restore habitat loss following the completion of the works.
A huge thank you to everyone involved, these vital works will help to improve safety and reliability of the railway during heavy rainfall.
