As part of Network Rail’s nationwide programme of works to stabilise and improve rail infrastructure, contractor Osborne Rail appointed us to reconstruct an existing embankment near Liphook, Hampshire. The embankment lies on the Portsmouth Direct Line, a busy commuter
route into London Waterloo.
We carried out the works in two phases. The project involved excavating land-slip material from the embankments, and installing gabion basket walls as retaining structures. These were filled with 1,800 tonnes of 6G gabion fill supplied by Gallagher Aggregates Ltd. We then reformed the embankments to the required slope angles, and installed new land drainage at the bases. We also carried out a series of additional works, including:
- Constructing a temporary access road across an adjacent field, and subsequently reinstating it to the landowner’s satisfaction.
- Reduced-level excavation and cut-and-fill earthworks.
- Importing, placing and compacting bulk fill for the embankments using material class 1A.
- New drainage works, including catchpits and land drainage.
- Installing proprietary handrailing around the top of the new gabion walls.
- Securing the boundary line of the works with new chain-link fencing.
On the strength of this highly successful project, we qualified to be part of Osborne Rail’s framework for the next five years, and have subsequently worked on numerous Network Rail contracts on its behalf.