Horsham-Dorking rail line reopens after landslip

Network Rail says services restarted after engineers and contractors repaired the damaged area near Ockley Station.

A section of embankent made from local Wealden clay in Victorian times became saturated during December’s heavy rains and slowly sunk under its own weight over the days between Christmas Eve and Boxing Day.

Five hundred tonnes of new material have been put in place to rebuild the railway where the embankment collapsed, supported by a new wall of sheet steel, embedded in the ground.

Sussex route director Shaun King said:“Engineers worked around the clock to stabilise the embankment, regrade the cutting slope and install 30 metres of sheet pile wall.

“The railway was successfully handed back on Monday (January 4) and services are running between Horsham and Dorking again.”

Southern managing director Angie Doll said: “I’m very grateful to Network Rail for their swift response to this incident and for making the line safe to open again. I’m sorry for the disruption caused by the landslip, and I join Network Rail in thanking everyone affected for their patience.”

Network Rail Southern region’s route asset manager for geotechnics, Derek Butcher, added: “The embankment was repaired by working 24 hours a day and we thank our contractors and employees who have worked around the clock to reopen the railway line.

“Not only did we repair the location of the landslip with 30 metres of sheet piled wall, we also managed to repair an additional 15 metre section with a king post wall.

“This will help improve weather resilience to the embankment for many years to come.”