Safety chiefs had raised flood fears
Network Rail ‘failed to keep up with severe weather risks’
THE rail watchdog warned about an increase in landslips over tracks only four weeks ago, it emerged last night.
A safety report by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) stated there were six times as many flooding events on Britain’s railways in 2019-20 than during the previous year.
It also criticised Network Rail – the body responsible for the upkeep of the country’s railways – for ‘not keeping up with the frequency and severity of these events’ in its planning for climate change and extreme weather events.
When the report was published last month, HM Chief Inspector of Railways Ian Prosser said: ‘The past year saw significant increases in flooding, earthwork failures and trains striking trees on the line, which had a big impact on the number of delays on the network.
‘It is so important that the sector employs best practice if we are to meet all the pressures on the network in the future and to make sure the railway plays its full role on climate change and reducing carbon emissions.’
In response, Network Rail said Britain’s railways were designed for a temperate climate and are ‘challenged’ by prolonged periods of high and low temperatures, storms and floods.
A spokesman said at the time: ‘Our climate is changing and we’re seeing more and more of these types of incidents.
‘We are acutely aware they must be addressed and we have drawn up comprehensive plans to do so. There is no quick fix but we will continue to review the way the railway operates in extreme weather and build resilience into all of our plans.’
Philip Sherratt, editor of Modern Railways magazine, said an increasing number of landslips are ‘something that the railways are going to have to deal with’.
He added: ‘During the storms back in February and March, particularly in the South-East of England, there were several quite severe landslips and you had routes closed for weeks.
‘If you look back ten years that’s not something we saw very much. There has definitely been a noticeable change in the frequency of these kind of incidents. Some are easier to deal with than others.’
The ORR’s Annual Report of Health and Safety Performance on Britain’s Railways 2019-20 states: ‘A persistently wet winter, culminating in several storms in February 2020 resulted in a number of earthwork failures... none of these incidents led to a derailment or other serious incidents, although in some cases there was an element of good fortune involved.
‘For example, with trains striking ballast or landslips being discovNetwork
‘More and more of these incidents’ ‘Develop weather resilience plans’
ered by trains on adjacent lines. These incidents... show the need to develop and implement weather resilience and climate change plans to mitigate against the risks of future weather events.’
Landslip damage is assessed by Rail engineers before debris is removed, in case more soil and rock collapses.
Trackside slopes often need to be repaired, stabilised and strengthened. This can involve installing drainage or steel rods, or even altering the profile of a slope.
Network Rail says it is reducing the impact of landslips by identifying which sites are at risk using helicopters equipped with laser imaging technology.
Once a location is deemed to be prone to landslips, motion sensors and CCTV is fitted to detect soil and rock movement.
These sensors alert signallers, who can stop trains until the area has been inspected by engineers.