Major disruption is predicted in Britain after a primary railway line collapsed in a “huge” landslip which left one monitor hanging in mid-air.
The 44-metre landslip occurred on the embankment to the north east of Hook station in Hampshire, on the road from London to Basingstoke.
The harm has left solely two of the four-track railway satisfactory, with each these tracks designed for London-bound trains solely.
South Western Railway is advising clients to verify earlier than they journey and to plan different transport for journeys to or from the south or west of Basingstoke to London on Monday.
Network Rail Wessex route director Mark Killick stated: “This is a huge landslip and will have a massive effect on customers. The main line to Basingstoke is the spine of our railway and there will be knock-on impacts across the route.
“I can solely apologise for the size of the disruption and please ask that clients verify earlier than they journey this week, not simply on the affected part, however all the best way up the road to London Waterloo, the place lots of the trains that may use this part of railway begin and end their journeys.
“We’re still assessing the damage and it’s difficult to put a detailed timescale in place, but we know it’s going to be at least a week.
“We might want to stabilise the embankment, basically stopping it shifting, after which rebuild the railway the place it has slid away.
“We’ll keep everyone informed of our progress and I can only say thank you to everyone for their patience and apologise again for the disruption. Please look out for further updates from South Western Railway on the revised timetable, once this has been able to be confirmed.”
A Network Rail spokesman defined that the embankment was made from a combination of London clay and different native soils which had change into saturated after days of heavy rain.
He stated: “The slip happened when the soil gave way along a 44-metre section of 10m-high embankment, sliding out from underneath the tracks, in what engineers call a ‘rotational failure’.
“Network Rail and its suppliers are engaged on designs for the work wanted to restore the railway, which is able to give a clearer concept of timescales.
“In addition, a practice plan to offer journey choices for purchasers on the route will likely be printed as quickly as doable.
