Train services between Horsham and Dorking set to resume after landslip repairs
Essential railway repairs completed ahead of schedule
Railway services between Horsham and Dorking are set to resume on 16th February after repairs to an embankment were expedited by Network Rail.
The service had been disrupted since 27th January due to a landslip near Ockley station, which left tracks hanging and rendered the line impassable.
Repairs involved rebuilding the railway by stabilising the embankment, removing 2,800 tonnes of failed material, and reshaping the slope into a benched formation.
This came after the embankment, weakened by heavy rains over a wet winter, gave way, causing what engineers term a 'rotational failure'.
Teams worked round-the-clock to carry out these repairs, installing soil nails and strengthening other parts of the embankment.
Network Rail Sussex route director, Lucy McAuliffe, expressed gratitude for the community's patience during the repair works, acknowledging the significance of the landslip and the swift response it necessitated.
In the meantime, Southern maintained a half-hourly train service between Dorking and London Victoria, and offered bus services between Horsham and Dorking.
Passengers were also provided with alternative routes via Southern and Thameslink services extending through Gatwick Airport to London.
Jenny Saunders, Customer Service Director for GTR, expressed her appreciation for passengers' understanding and looked forward to restoring the full service.