Scottish infrastructure severely impacted by landslides after heavy thunderstorms | New Civil Engineer

The West Highland Line is closed after severe flooding on Monday night caused significant damage between Roy Bridge and Tulloch. It will remain closed between Fort William and Crianlarich until early next week while engineers work to carry-out repairs at three sites.

Repairs will include rebuilding a section of the line where over 400t of material has been washed away from beneath the track. Engineers will need to rebuild the embankment beneath the line and relay the track before the railway can reopen.

Network Rail Scotland route director Liam Sumpter said: “Flash-flooding has caused significant damage to the railway and we are working hard to repair and reopen the line as quickly as we can for our customers. The damage to the line is extensive and it will take several days for our engineers to complete repairs.”

Network Rail was unable to give an exact date as to when the line will be reopened.

Also affected, was the A86 in the Scottish Highlands but the road has since reopened. Bear Scotland, Transport Scotland’s  road maintenance contractor, stated that it received reports at 6.50pm on Monday evening that 600t of mud and debris had slid onto a 1.5km section of the A86 east of Roybridge. The landslide occurred due to “quite heavy, isolated thunderstorms”, according to a Bear Scotland spokesperson.

The road was reopened the next day after an “impressive” cleanup operation which included removal of the debris, cleaning up the drainage systems and clearing any blocked culverts.

Also in the Highlands, the B863 Glencoe-Kinlochleven road is expected to be closed for a number of weeks after three landslides, the largest estimated to be 100t, occurred after thundery downpours throughout Monday night.

Highland Council has stated that while two of the landslides have been cleared, a stone parapet arch and part of the carriageway will have to be rebuilt after the damage it sustained.

A spokesperson said: “Clearance work began yesterday, 15 June, around the site of the remaining landslip but unfortunately more of the carriageway was lost on the evening of 14 June, and the road remains closed until further notice.  A diversion route is in place via the low road.

“The B863 will remain closed for some time as a design specification to rebuild the stone parapet arch and carriageway construction is required. Updates will be announced once the full extent of the works has been established but at this stage it is likely the road will be closed for several weeks.”

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