Bexleyheath line improvement work

Major work to protect passengers from the disruption of further landslips on the Bexleyheath line has been completed

After four landslips in the past decade – the most recent in February 2019, which blocked the line for seven days – we’ve invested £6.6 million to provide a safe, permanent solution.

What we did

The steep cutting in the Barnehurst area is prone to landslips during periods of wet weather.

To prevent future landslips, we have:

• Removed 2,500 tonnes of mud and trees, so engineers can reduce the steepness of the cutting slopes.
• Brought in 8,000 tonnes of material, such as gravel and concrete, to build the retaining walls along both sides of the cutting, which stretches over 650 metres.
• The walls are made from steel beams, which were vibrated and driven into the ground (six metres deep) and then finished with huge concrete blocks that will stop any future landslips from reaching the tracks.

During the closure, we also took the opportunity to bring forward other infrastructure improvements in the area, including essential maintenance at the affected stations. This allowed us to reduce the amount of engineering works we would have to do in the future, but also give passengers the reliability benefits much sooner.

Works completed

• Canopy, platform and drainage improvements at Barnehurst, Bexleyheath, Welling, Falconwood, Eltham and Kidbrooke stations.
• Vegetation management and drainage clearance along the Bexleyheath line.
• Signalling and power supply resilience work, including the replacement of electrical equipment to prevent future power and signalling failures.
• Refurbishment of Perry Street Fork Junction near Crayford.

Contact us

For more information, call our National Helpline on 03457 11 41 41 or contact us on Twitter @NetworkRailSE.