Changes

[[File:Sterns_20180325.jpg|thumb|300px|right| The telegraph pole at Sterns (spring)]]'''Sterns''' is situated between [[Hampton Loade]] and [[Bridgnorth]] at the foot of [[Eardington Bank]], at approximately [[Gradient profile and mileages|milepost 147]]. It is at a place where the [[River Severn]] approaches close to the railway at almost 90 degrees before turning away southwards towards Bewdley, and is notorious as a maintenance trouble spot due to the ground regularly slipping towards the river on numerous occasions over the history of the railway. During the last Ice Age, the valley of the River Severn was scoured out by glacial action and bands of different types of material were deposited at varying depths. This subsequently resulted in the formation of 'slip-planes' where the different layers can slide over each other, particularly when placed under a load such as the presence of a railway line and especially after periods of heavy rain. Slip-planes exist throughout most of the valley but have resulted in areas of major instability at [[Jackfield Halt|Jackfield]] and Sterns.<ref name=Sowden>[[Bibliography#Books|Sowden (2012)]] pp. 12-14.</ref> The slip plane causing the movement in this area is located at a depth of around 20 metres below the ground surface.<ref name=BranchLines202406>[https://www.svrlive.com/bljun24 Branch Lines June 2024, ''More concerns at Sterns'']</ref>

With ground movements continuing to cause concern to the Railway, new tilt monitors were installed in February 2024, together with blue 'ground-alignment markers', to monitor movement in the near-surface soils. In June 2024 specialist contractor 'Ground Investigation Specialists' drilled through the rock to a depth of 23 metres to install new boreholes to monitor the movement more accurately.<ref>[https:name=BranchLines202406//www.svrlive.com/bljun24 Branch Lines June 2024, ''More concerns at Sterns'']</ref>