Project: Embankment repair at Fossdyke, Lincolnshire
Client: Network Rail

Timescale: Feb - May 2006
Value £650k

At the historic Fossdyke navigation canal in Lincolnshire, on the Spalding to Doncaster railway route, May Gurney delivered a specially designed, innovative and environmentally friendly embankment repair scheme on behalf of client Network Rail.

The scheme used pre-planted coir rolls and brushwood faggots, installed behind softwood stakes, to provide a solution to scouring of the riverbank and ensure the continued integrity of the railway embankment at this location. Additionally the scheme had a minimal impact on, and provided an almost instantaneous habitat for, local flora and fauna.

Completed ahead of schedule, the project came in significantly under budget with a £200k saving for the customer. The works were completed without the need for track possession or Line Speed Restrictions - critically important for the client, and the train operating companies.

The scheme's ingenuity has already been acknowledged within the industry; it was runner up at Network Rail's 2006 You Make The Difference Awards, and also received a Historic Bridge and Infrastructure Award from ICE.