Erosion control on steep slopes : Riverside Mine railway embankment batter case study

Erosion related maintenance activities of the Infrastructure Services Group (ISG) of Queensland Rail (QR) within Central Queensland coal railway network have an annual budget tag of about $0.5M Research into erosion control strategies (HEFRAIL Project) has been centred on quick grass establishment with the aid of cost effective drip irrigation system, limited use of erosion control blankets, and use of waste ballast as mulch. This paper presents a large scale field trial as set up at a site on the Goonyella-Riverside branch near Riverside Mine in 2001. Initial results after 18 months of implementation were very encouraging. In particular, it is demonstrated how a site could be treated progressively in sections in order to cut down irrigation costs. It is expected that the treatments imposed provide a long-term protection of the batters against erosion. Additional benefits of the treatments include provision of aesthetically pleasing bolters and minimisation of sediment delivery to nearby watercourses.