Instability of slopes, embankments, and cuttings on the railway network is increasingly prevalent globally. Monitoring vulnerable infrastructure aids in geotechnical asset management, and improvements to transport safety and efficiency. Here, we examine the use of a novel, near-real-time Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) monitoring system for assessing the stability of a railway cutting in Leicestershire, United Kingdom. In 2015, an ERT monitoring system was installed across a relict landslide (grassed) and an area of more stable ground on either side (wooded), to monitor changes in electrical resistivity through time and space, and to assess the influence of different types of vegetation on the stability of transportation infrastructure. Two years of 4-Dimensional ERT monitoring results are presented here, and petrophysical relationships developed in the laboratory are applied to calibrate the resistivity models in order to provide an insight into hydrogeological pathways within a railway cutting. The influence of vegetation type on subsurface moisture pathways and on slope stability is also assessed – here we find that seasonal subsurface changes in moisture content and soil suction are exacerbated by the presence of trees (wooded area). This results in shrink-swell behaviour of the clays comprising the railway cutting, resulting in fissuring and a reduction in shear strength, leading to instability. As such, it is proposed that on slopes comprised of expansive soils, grassed slopes are beneficial for stability. Insights into the use of 4-D ERT for monitoring railway infrastructure gained from this study may be applied to the monitoring of critical geotechnical assets elsewhere.

铁路网络上的斜坡、路堤和岩屑的不稳定性在全球范围内日益普遍。监测脆弱的基础设施有助于岩土资产管理，并提高运输安全和效率。在这里，我们研究了使用一种新颖的近实时电阻率断层扫描 (ERT) 监测系统来评估英国莱斯特郡铁路切割的稳定性。2015 年，一个 ERT 监测系统被安装在一个残余滑坡（草地）和两侧更稳定的地面（树木）区域，以监测电阻率在时间和空间上的变化，并评估不同类型的滑坡的影响。植被对交通基础设施稳定性的影响。这里展示了两年的 4 维 ERT 监测结果，实验室开发的岩石物理关系用于校准电阻率模型，以便深入了解铁路切割中的水文地质路径。还评估了植被类型对地下水分路径和斜坡稳定性的影响——在这里，我们发现树木（林地）的存在加剧了水分含量和土壤吸力的季节性地下变化。这导致构成铁路切割的粘土的收缩-膨胀行为，导致开裂和剪切强度降低，从而导致不稳定。因此，建议在由膨胀土组成的斜坡上，草坡有利于稳定性。