Network Rail (
www.networkrail.co.uk) restarted work earlier this month on a new (and bigger) sea wall at Dawlish in Devon; this will provide greater protection to the railway (and the town) from rising sea levels and extreme weather “for generations to come”.
The upgrade, which was paused during the peak tourism season to minimise disruption to the local community, will now continue through to its completion in spring 2020.
The new sea wall is vital, not just for Dawlish but for the whole of the South West peninsula, as the railway connects communities in 50 towns in Devon and Cornwall with the rest of the UK.
The new sea wall will be 2.5m higher than the existing one and will have a curved edge that sends waves back towards the sea, plus a wider promenade (with seating).
The location means that work has to be scheduled according to the tides, with engineers working for five hours either side of each low tide.
David Lovell, Network Rail’s senior programme manager for the Dawlish sea wall project, said: “We are looking forward to delivering this vital upgrade, which will protect the rail artery to the South West from rising sea levels and extreme weather for the next 100 years.”