UK: A project to rebuild the Dawlish sea wall to protect the railway along the Devon coast has been officially completed.
The £82m, 2½ year scheme forms part of the wider £165m South West Resilience Programme which was launched after storms in 2014 put the line along the sea wall out of use for eight weeks. This cut off rail access to the far southwest of England, with costs to the wider economy estimated at several millions of pounds.
The rebuilt sea wall is 8 m high and 775 m long and includes a promenade and new public areas. It is designed to offer long term protection from extreme weather, reflecting waves back into the sea and making provision for rising sea levels. This is expected to reduce the need to suspend services during stormy weather, and will also protect the town of Dawlish.
Further cliff protection works are underway including a rockfall shelter at Holcombe.
‘The line is a vital transport link for the southwest, something that was starkly highlighted when sections of the railway were washed away and flooded’, said Michelle Handforth, Regional Managing Director of Network Rail’s Wales & Western region when Secretary of State for Transport Mark Harper visited the sea wall to mark the completion of the project on July 3.
‘Working with world-leading engineers and with funding from the government, we’ve been able to protect the railway line and town of Dawlish for generations to come.’
