Trains are running again between Horsham and Dorking (Main) this morning, after more than two weeks of disruption caused by a landslip.
The route was closed on 27 January after the slip at Ockley had left two lines hanging in the air. The soil had given way along a nine-metre section of embankment leaving the lines unsupported in a ‘rotational failure’. Network Rail attributed the slip to heavy rain, following a wet winter.
Work has been carried out 24 hours a day to rebuild the embankment, using 324 soil nails. Other areas near the slip have also been strengthened.
Network Rail Sussex route director Lucy McAuliffe said: ‘This was a significant landslip for our teams to respond to, and I can only apologise to passengers who have been impacted by this closure.
‘The team worked around the clock to rebuild the railway at Ockley in just a few weeks, which is an incredible achievement, but we know how important this railway is to people and how crucial it was to get regular train services back on track.’
Meanwhile, services have also been restored between Wakefield Kirkgate and Barnsley, after a ‘slow-moving’ landslip had been reported near Darton which was threatening to block the line close to Woolley Tunnel. About 1,000 tonnes of spoil have been removed from the area so that the line could be reopened.
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