01.11.17
NR stabilises Chiltern main line with innovative Japanese piling method
Network Rail has stabilised a railway using an innovative piling method from Japan.
The technique has been used to stabilise half a mile of subsiding embankment beneath the Chiltern main line.
Prior to this, Network Rail engineers had been making ongoing repairs to dips in the tracks that, if not dealt with, would have caused subsidence beneath tracks, something which can lead to trains derailing.
The 12 week works were carried out from May to August this year, and cost £2.9m.
Engineers used a silent piling machine, from Japan, to drive 865 six metre long steel sheet piles into the earth, forming rows on either side of the railway at Bridge Farm near Aylesbury.
Behind the solid barriers formed by these piles, engineers packed 27,000 tonnes of stone, and topped the piles with soil seeded with grass to give the work a neat finish.
Works delivery programme manager for Network Rail’s London North Western route, Mark Evans, said: “By using this innovative Japanese piling method we got the job done quicker and cheaper than traditional kit would have allowed.
“The Giken machine grips the neighbouring steel sheet pile and silently uses it to lever in the next one, and so on. It’s simple, safe and saves taxpayers’ cash - exactly how we like it.”
Alan Riley, customer services director for Chiltern Railways, added: “We are delighted with this innovative solution as it has clearly delivered a value-for-money result and most importantly enhances the travelling experience for our customers.
“The work embraces a ‘think different’ approach to ensure the project has been completed in a timely manner and quality output, with the customers at the heart of this.”