Gloucestershire railway line closing for "resilience" works

Large sections of the track are only a few metres from the Severn Estuary and are exposed to the elements

A "critical" railway line in Gloucestershire will be closed for seven weeks to undergo £25m resilience works.

The Lydney to Gloucester line has suffered several major landslips as a result of extreme weather damaging the cliff face between Purton and Awre.

Network Rail said the works to shore the cliff face would help to secure the future of a "vital transport link."

The track will be closed from 18 July until 3 September.

Network Rail's Richard Griffiths said the Lydney to Gloucester line was important for passengers, as well as for freight.

Forty three trains carrying steel, petrol, supermarket goods and construction materials pass through it every week.

"It connects South Wales through the West Country up to the Midlands and the North of England and we need to make sure that people can keep travelling.

"But also we need to protect the line for the future," he said.

A new mesh and bolt system will be installed to stabilise the cliff face and prevent landslips

Much of the track runs alongside the Severn Estuary where it is exposed to the elements.

Extreme weather has resulted in five major landslips in two years.

These have led to extended closures and temporary speed restrictions that have delayed more than 200,000 trains.

The initial works will be focused on a three-mile stretch of the line close to Purton, Etloe, Little Hagloe and Awre where more than 30,000 tonnes of material will be removed from the cliff face.

The cliff will then be protected with mesh to prevent landslips from affecting the track below

Network Rail said the works would continue into 2023 with soil nailing into the mesh to "retain the slope and reduce weathering" in high-risk areas.

It plans to do undertake the same type of works in lower-risk areas the following year.

Richard Griffiths said the works were "such a big project and such an important project"

Mr Griffiths said while there was "never a good time to close a railway," many school children used the line, so the work would be completed during the summer holidays to impact fewer people.

He said replacement services would be in place but had yet to be organised.

"We will be working really closely with Transport for Wales and with CrossCountry to make sure people can still get to where they need to go to."

The line will be opened at night during parts of the closure to allow freight trains through.