The Landslide Blog is written by Dave Petley, who is widely recognized as a world leader in the study and management of landslides.
On 21 October 2023 a small but disruptive landslide occurred in Westchester County in New York in the US. The landslide is notable because it blocked the track of the Metro-North’s Hudson Line and the Amtrak railway line.
The Metropolitan Transport Agency has released this image, collected by the Westchester County Police Department, that shows the aftermath of the landslide:-
The MTA has also posted a gallery of Flikr images, which includes this view of aftermath of the landslide.
On first inspection, this would appear to be a retaining wall failure that has led to mobilisation of the fill that was was being retained, although this will need to be confirmed. Parts of the masonry wall have travelled as far as the track.
The location of this landslide is, I believe, [41.1241, -73.8671]. This is the site on Google Earth:-
The above image was collected in October 2020. There is also an image from April 2022 that might suggest that the site was facing some challenges:-
The MTA has been quick to clear the tracks, which are now open once more.
The landslide followed a period of heavy rainfall. It would be interesting to know who is liable for the costs of the landslide.
The failure does remind me of the need to ensure that retaining walls are appropriately designed and properly maintained. Action is always needed if retaining walls, or the retained materials, start to show signs of distress.
Acknowledgement
Thanks to Dave Eddy for bringing this landslide to my attention.
