SPECTACULAR drone footage has captured ongoing work to reinforce landslip-prone cliffs above the rail line between Newport and Gloucester.

High above the tracks between Lydney and Gloucester, a multi-million-pound project is under way to protect the future of the railway and avoid delays and cancellations as a result of landslips.

South Wales Argus:

Network Rail has embarked on a £25 million programme of work to stabilise a landslip-prone cliff above the railway alongside the Severn Estuary.

The first phase of the work began on Monday, July 18, with specialist teams working day and night, during a planned seven-week closure of the line between Lydney and Gloucester.

Passengers will be able to travel along the route by train again from tomorrow, Saturday, September 3.

South Wales Argus:

More frequent extreme weather saw this section of railway devastated by five major landslips between 2020-2021.

This has led to extended closures of the railway and temporary speed restrictions, delaying more than 200,000 trains.  

With the long-term viability of this vital passenger and freight line at stake, Network Rail engineers developed a multi-million-pound plan to the protect the railway for generations to come.

South Wales Argus:

The sweeping drone footage shows the plan in action, with more than 15,000 tonnes of material removed by excavator from the steep face of the cutting on a three-mile stretch near Lydney and taken away by train for recycling.

Following the removal of the existing mesh, rope teams then moved onto the slope to install erosion control matting, using 27,000 square metres of new mesh, secured by more than 1,000 soil nails, drilled to a depth of 10m. 

South Wales Argus:

More than 700 staff from Network Rail and contractors Taziker worked more than 60,000 hours across the seven weeks, including during the two recent summer heatwaves - where temperatures on site often exceeded 35 degrees

Nick Millington, interim route director at Network Rail Wales and Borders said: “I would, firstly, like to thank passengers and the local community for their patience while we’ve carried out the first phase of this vital work here on the Severn Estuary.  

South Wales Argus:

“I also want to thank our teams who have safely worked around the clock in challenging, dusty conditions. 

“We are committed, through projects like this, to making our railway more resilient to the effects of climate change.” 

Phil Jones, Taziker’s operations director, said: “This scheme has presented many unique challenges that we were able to overcome by working collaboratively with Network Rail engineers and designers.”