Landslide sparks call for safety checks on Todmorden Curve (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Landslide sparks call for safety checks on Todmorden Curve

2:46pm Thursday 25th October 2012 in News By Peter Magill, Chief reporter

A LANDSLIDE which deposited tonnes of soil and stones just yards from several homes has prompted calls for regular safety checks ahead of the re-opening of the Todmorden Curve.

Contractors acting on behalf of Network Rail began the clean-up operation yesterday after a retaining wall next to the Burnley to Todmorden railway line collapsed in Victoria Street, Cornholme.

Rail bosses say the condition of bridges and walls through the village are already under regular review and an investigation has been pledged into the Tuesday morning incident.

Town councillor Anne James, who represents Cornholme, said: “I just hope now that they realise what the problem is. There are a number of people living nearby who are worried.

“There needs to be a regular maintenance schedule so this kind of thing doesn’t happen again.

“But there have been a lot of problems with water, running off the hills, and flooding, and this is what looks to have happened here. It is just lucky that this didn’t damage anyone’s home, when you see how close it was to people living nearby.”

A Network Rail spokesman said that work was ongoing to remove loose stones and soil from around the wall before a full investigation could be undertaken.

Early indications were that while the face of the wall had collapsed, the underlying structure was still secure, he added.

Trains were temporarily suspended, when the landslide was reported, but engineers gave the all-clear for services to resume around four hours later.

The Burnley to Todmorden line will become increasingly busy from May 2014 when direct services are offered to Greater Manchester, once the missing “Todmorden Curve” section of track is reinstated.

Campaigners in Cornholme have also been calling, ahead of the development, for the village station, or a halt at nearby Portsmouth, to be reinstated by railway chiefs.

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