Whether it’s a long-term scheme to improve resilience in the face of a more unpredictable climate, or an emergency call-out to stabilise a landslip or clear a track blockage, you never know what situations and constraints rail renewals will face on the ground – or under it, for that matter.
Work to-date under the Southern Renewals Partnership underlines the range and unpredictability of the challenges an individual project is likely to present. How, exactly, do you prepare for what you can’t predict?
There’s no simple answer and no textbook response that you can use over and over. It comes down to building a framework that can quickly assess the situation and formulate a workable plan without getting bogged down in logistical problems and indecision.
To offer a flavour of how diverse and complex the challenges can be, let’s consider three recent projects delivered under the partnership framework.
Access Constraints
The emergency stabilisation of Colhayne Embankment was complicated by restricted access over a bridge with a three tonne weight limit. The location was also affected by moderate ecological sensitivity.
Meanwhile a landslip threatened the operational railway. Our site ecological and topographical surveys and a catchment analysis took just one week to complete. Gabion baskets secured by ground anchors proved to be the simplest and most effective solution allowing for the restricted site access and tight 52 hour possession window.
Speed and Certainty
Sometimes the challenge is to rapidly mobilise a specialist team. At Yeovil Penn Mill South, loose rock and debris pushed catch fencing toward the track, potentially blocking the line.
Suttle’s teams responded within 12 hours of notification – completing debris clearance, vegetation removal, and fencing reinstatement in a single shift.
Similarly, the Eggpie Lane emergency earthworks response called for swift mobilisation, efficient scoping, and immediate deployment of in-house resources.
This type of ‘performance under pressure’ is where we excel. Consistent success is partly down to our experienced team of civil engineers, designers and project managers. This is enriched with self-delivery capabilities within the group including excavation and piling plant and materials supplies through Suttles Stone Quarries.
Just as important is the culture that welcomes challenges and collaborates to simplify delivery and produce highly reliable, time and cost-efficient solutions.
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