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In recent years, a number of high profile landslide events have caused disruption, derailments or damage to railway infrastructure in Great Britain. A landslide susceptibility model of the entire railway network was created, designed to give a national overview of potential landslide hazard originating from Outside Party Slopes. The current assessment was compiled using Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques and desktop modelling to apply a structured analysis of each buffered Earthwork Inspection 5 Chain (c 100 m). Data analysed along the network included the BGS GeoSure instability model 19 and newly updated national models for debris flow, earth flow and rock fall, supported by 20 historic landslide data. In order to further focus the Outside Party Slope zone, a buffer of 21 External Natural Geological Influence (BENGI) was created using 5 m Digital Terrain Model. 22 Landslide susceptibility for each Earthwork inspection 5 Chain was categorised using a 23 'Classification of Hazards on Outside Party Slopes' (CHOPS) score; representing the modelled 24 potential for landslide hazard. 25 The outputs were combined as a series of matrices to present the CHOPS and Network Rail 26 Derailment Criticality Band interactions. This research will allow further focused analysis of 27 the network, in order to prioritise and direct future investigation and policy decisions. 28

A conference was held at the Geological Society of London on the theme of ‘Ground-related Risk to Transportation Infrastructure’. This conference attracted nearly 200 delegates from around the world and, while there was a UK focus, presentations and posters of a very high quality were given on a wide range of topics illustrated by global examples. The thematic set of papers presented in this issue of the journal give a good indication of the range and quality of the subject matter presented to the conference. Transportation infrastructure is of vital strategic importance to countries, and is often referred to as the backbone of a modern economy. Risks arising from hazards in the ground, either natural or anthropogenic, pose a significant threat to the safety and performance of such transport networks and, hence, the subject of geotechnical asset management is of great importance. This set of papers covers examples drawn from the four themes of the conference: strategic geotechnical asset management; current and future resilience and monitoring; ground-related hazards; and operational response to hazards and events. It is hoped that the spirit of knowledge sharing and discussion engendered by the conference continues with future events and publications.

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