Ground investigation update

In summer 2025 we undertook comprehensive ground investigation works, thanks to your fundraising. This quarter of a million pound step means we now have a proper understanding of what’s in the ground beneath our feet – or rather what’s in the ground beneath where the new Reunification line will run.

You’ll also remember there was two months of monitoring work with specialists coming to check the deep bore holes for subsurface water and ground gasses. This is now complete too with all evidence it ever happened removed from the site.

Some of the data gathered has already been used to complete the final design work of the imminent Factory Flyover stage. You might be wondering what else is down there? Sadly no gold or precious metals, but the good news is, there’s rock right where it needs to be. Richard Clough from our consulting engineers Cass Hayward, tells us…

“The resulting integrated investigation ties up the site topography, services, and ground profile beneath,  permitting vital coordination with the proposed structures.  A small amount of future investigation is required to determine how the Severn Trent combined sewer outfall was constructed.

The good news is that the ground beneath the site was generally found to reflect that anticipated by the desk study. Fill materials were encountered associated with the construction of the former railway embankments and the Environment Agency flood bund.

Beneath these, river terrace deposits are overlain by alluvial soils, characteristic of being in the River Soar Valley. Below this the geology comprises the Mercia Mudstone Group of weathered and intact rock deposits with more competent rock encountered around 15 to 20m below ground level.

Within the alluvium layer the compressible peat was thicker and more extensive than expected. We look forward to the challenge of developing a solution to control the settlement of the embankments in the upcoming design phase.”

As Richard says, the next design phase (that’s the rejuvination of the embankment to the north of the new Midland Main Line bridge and the new urban viaduct plus short embankment south of Railway Terrace) will lean heavily – literally – on the results of the ground investigation work.

Right now we’re concentrating on getting ready to build the Factory Flyover section. With the final design to hand, the next step is to find a contractor and that depends on having the funds. As always, thank you for your support because your generosity is putting back this railway.