AS PART of a process to protect the Hereford to Abergavenny line from future washouts –a result of extreme weather conditions – Network Rail engineers have installed half-a-mile of rock armour and refurbished culverts. It is the same concept that has proved a huge success on a flood-prone stretch of the Conwy Valley line.
The £4m project began in May 2021 and in that time, 10 trains have brought more than 8000 tonnes of rock to site, locally sourced from Machen Quarry, near Newport at the southern end of the Welsh Marches route. A first phase will be completed in November with a second phase beginning in the spring.