World-leading engineers in coastal, tunnel, cliff and railway engineering have begun detailed studies along the route between Teignmouth and Dawlish in Devon, as Network Rail (
www.networkrail.co.uk) works to safeguard the railway in Devon and Cornwall for future generations.
Since 2014, when the railway line between Exeter and Newton Abbot was closed for eight weeks owing to severe weather, Network Rail has been putting together plans to safeguard the railway to the South West (through Dawlish and Teignmouth) for the long term.
In 2016, it completed the Exeter to Newton Abbot Geo-Environment Resilience study, which said that unless a series of short-, medium- and long-term measures is put in place, extreme weather and coastal erosion are likely to mean that the events that closed the line in 2014 will occur more frequently.
The report identified three priority areas that require “improved resilience” to enable the railway to be maintained in the face of extreme weather: the railway between Parsons Tunnel and Teignmouth, where there was a landslip on the cliffs in 2014; the sea wall that collapsed at Dawlish in 2014; and the cliffs between Kennaway and Parsons Tunnels.
Network Rail is now undertaking a detailed geological and marine study now to find out what is happening to the cliffs and coastline.
This work will see some two months of activity in and around Dawlish and Teignmouth.
Network Rail will then work with the expert team over the course of 2018 and early 2019 to put together outline options for discussion with the local community, the council and the Department for Transport before any decisions are taken.
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said: “We are investing in the biggest modernisation of our rail network since Victorian times. This includes making the lines from Dawlish to Teignmouth more resilient.
“On top of the £31 million put into tackling the damage and disruption caused by the weather in 2014, we have invested a further £15 million to enable world-class engineers to design a long-lasting solution for the line.
“We are determined to improve the service for passengers and safeguard the economy by protecting the movement of goods and services, irrespective of the weather.”