Embankment Works at Little Chalfont

Yes - OK - never mind railway safety.

Am minded to use the phrase "treehuggers" !

I think it needs stabalising. Its been done further down the line nearer to Amersham Station. I'm under the belief that the whole embankment between Amersham and Chalfont is being done. The work that has been down has caused the removal of all the trees and a new fence to be installed plus all the stabalising work.

Its an interesting topic. As has been alluded to on here previously, embankment design and construction nowadays is different to how, perhaps, some might view yesteryears work.

Whereas once upon a time various plants, trees and shrubs were planted on embankments at different levels (etc) to aid in stablisation naturally through root systems and moisture control, nowadays this approach is far more limited.

On top of that, post steam many embankments maintenance regimes were streamlined, as the risk from hot coals and cinders starting trackside fire had disapered.

"I also think the trees also provide some protection from derailment"

earlier in the year they were lucky not not cause one.trees don't offer any protection against noise they were heavily planted outside here facing a road that's only increased in traffic and grown rapidly over ten years',yes they do screen but that's only seasonal,trains go by so quickly there isn't time to have any effect on privacy.what is common in that area are preservation orders on trees but experience from the past is blocked gutters and weeks of clearing up leaves.i wouldn't have them close again.

its not the first time this has come up.

amersham.buckinghamshireadvertiser.co.uk/2010/04/tree-felling-along-met-line-de.html

The railway was there before the houses and in fact if the railway had not been built, then Little Chalfont would not exist (probably!).

From my memory, trees have grown quite large over fairly recent years, so removing some is only like making it as it used to be.

I think I read somewhere that the embankments in the area have different angle of slopes (sure that is not a correct technical description) which means they can be more unstable than other embankments, hence the need to make them stable.

Yes, the work around Black Horse Bridge does tend to stick out a lot now, but its a railway, you can't really hide it. I am sure some vegetation will grow back to soften the view in time.

This type of work has been done in many places along the line. The good people of Moor Park could not stop it!

I also live in Amersham and accept this work has to happen. If I had a house right by the railway I expect I would be annoyed, BUT I would have known the railway was there and thus would expect the consequences of living by the railway.

they are currently chopping down everY tree from watford south juction to croxley stn. ITS SHOCKING TO SEE.

THE WONDERFUL WALL OF GREEN ALONG THE CUTTING HAS GONE. Not good.

As l said earlier, Southern are citing potential embankment collapse twixt Dorking & Horsham CAUSED BY killing the trees as the reason for not being able to improve that service. It doesn't make sense that another rail company is killing the trees in order to strengthen the embankments. They killed the trees off to save money on leaf fall. One cannot help but wonder about possible hidden agendas................