Work begins on the second section of the new Dawlish sea wall that will protect vital railway link
Work has begun on the second section of the new Dawlish sea wall, which will protect the railway that connects Devon and Cornwall with the rest of the UK.
The second phase of the project by Network Rail got underway on Tuesday 10 November after the first part was completed in July.
Construction of this next section of the £80 million upgrade, will take around two years to complete.
It follows years of detailed studies, designs and joint working between world-leading marine, coastal and railway engineering experts.
Ewen Morrison is leading the project for Network Rail, he says the new wall will protect the railway for the next 100 years.
The stretch of railway along the coastline is extremely susceptible to bad weather.
In 2014 part of it washed into the sea during heavy storms, forcing an eight-week closure.
In 2019 the Government announced £80 million plans to protect the line with a new wall along Marine Parade, to provide greater resilience against adverse weather.
There had been concerns that the height of the new sea wall will “destroy Dawlish’s charm and stop people visiting the town” - but a committee agreed that the future of the railway line was paramount.
This second phase of work is being split into two segments.
The first part, from Dawlish station to the Coastguard breakwater east of the station is expected to be completed in late 2021. The final part between the station and the Colonnade breakwater, which will link up the new wall at Marine Parade, will start to be built shortly after.
A major aspect of this work involves the use of an innovative eight-legged, self-contained walking jack-up barge, known as a ‘Wavewalker’.
The ‘Wavewalker’ is only one of its kind in Europe and it will be the first time this type of barge has been used to maintain the UK rail network.
This piece of equipment will be used to safely access the sea facing side of the embankment.
The platform height can be adjusted so that work can continue during the high tides that particularly impact the South Devon coastline.
It means working hours are not as restricted by changing tides.
The Rail Minister, Chris Heaton-Harris says he's pleased to see work continuing to improve the sea defences, and 'that the innovative ‘Wavewalker’ is being used to construct it – a first for UK rail.'
He says the investment from the government will provide a more resilient railway for future generations.
Once complete the 415 metre section of new sea wall will:
be higher than the existing wall
have a curved edge to send waves back towards the sea
have a high-level, wider and safer promenade
pedestrian access to the beach
an accessible station footbridge with lifts
Network Rail says it will keep the community updated on the progress of the project.
An information point will again be available in Dawlish for residents.
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