Network Rail has thanked passengers after completing major emergency repairs to the railway in Stoke Mandeville following a landslip caused by heavy rainfall.
The railway between London Marylebone and Aylesbury via Amersham reopened this morning (Tuesday 5 March) after rail engineers closed one of the two tracks between Aylesbury and Amersham stations for fours days to stabilise an embankment and repair the track allowing trains to safely resume.
On Tuesday 27 February engineers closed one of the two tracks north of Stoke Mandeville station in Buckinghamshire after a track defect was identified. Approximately 5,000 tonnes of material had slipped along a 20-metre section of the railway embankment after persistent heavy rainfall weakened the earth beneath it.
The emergency repairs involved installing 120 specialist nine-metre-long ‘soil nails’ into the railway embankment to stabilise the affected area.
Adam Checkley, infrastructure director for Network Rail, said: “I’m really sorry to passengers and local people affected by the landslip at Stoke Mandeville while we completed repairs to the track and embankment. I’m pleased to advise that we’ve fully reopened the track this morning which means passengers can once again travel between Aylesbury and London Marylebone via Amersham. The repair work involved our engineers working very closely to nearby residents gardens so I want to thank them for their patience along with passengers whose journeys were impacted.”
Tony Baxter, operations director at Chiltern Railways, commented: “I’d like to thank our customers for their patience and understanding over the last week as Network Rail worked at pace to repair the railway following a landslip near Stoke Mandeville. We’re pleased to say that the line between Aylesbury, Amersham and London Marylebone is now fully reopen.
“While these complex repairs have been taking place, we’ve been diverting services where possible, and where this hasn’t been possible, keeping people on the move with rail replacement bus services. I’m sorry for the disruption that this closure has caused customers, and glad that we are able to return to our normal timetable.”
Image credit: Network Rail
