Network Rail begins £33m land reinforcement in County Durham

Network Rail has started work on a multi-million-pound land reinforcement project at Browney Curve in County Durham. 

The £33m project alongside the East Coast Main Line will see Network Rail reinforce more than 1km of land where the track sits, making sure train services can run reliably and safely for years to come.

Browney Curve is an active landslip and is being monitored by Network Rail to see if there is any ground movement and to make sure it remains safe to run trains along the line. 

Major piling work is to take place as a permanent solution to secure the land around the railway line, keeping passenger services running as normal.

As well as the introduction of reinforced concrete piles, work to widen the embankment and make improvements to drainage and tree planting to reduce the impact of heavy rainfall will take place. 

The project is expected to be completed in autumn 2024.

Tom Grainger, lead portfolio manager at Network Rail, said: “The reinforcement work at Browney Curve is essential in continuing to deliver reliable journeys for our passengers on a more resilient railway. The work has been carefully planned to avoid disruption to passengers using the East Coast Main Line.

“This is a really big and complex piece of work, but we’re excited to deliver improvements to the railway for our customers.”

Passenger journeys will be unaffected during the project, and Network Rail will continue to carry out regular track maintenance and monitoring during and following the work.