Reservoir for Brunel’s atmospheric railway halts road-widening scheme in its tracks

AN UNDERGROUND reservoir used by Isambard Kingdom Brunel to power a railway has scuppered plans for roadwidening scheme.

Plans to improve the road in Starcross, Devon, have been suspended after the discovery of the 19th century engineering project.

It was part of Brunel’s atmospheric railway, which moved trains by extracting air from pipes between the rails, with pumping stations along the track that used water from the reservoir to create steam.

However, the railway proved too expensive and stopped after less than a year in 1848.

Local councillors have been pushing for years for a scheme around the pinch point of the Courtenay stone pillars in the estuary town, where traffic ends up in long queues because of the narrow width of the road next to Brunel’s site.

In April Devon county council allocated around £80,000 towards the road widening project – but that has now been put on hold because a vacuum chamber has been unearthed from the atmospheric railway.

The site – now used by the Starcross Fishing and Cruising Club – has also seen extensive work carried out by the Environment Agency as part of a Tidal Defence Scheme for 650 properties in the local communities.

Devon county council informed Alan Connett, the local Lib Dem leader: “There have been some significant developments that are likely to prevent any improvement scheme in Starcross.

“Liaison with the Environment Agency has identified a significant constraint, in the form of a vacuum chamber under the Cruise club car park.

“The vacuum chamber is part of Brunel’s Atmospheric Railway and is nationally significant.

“The widening works are no longer going to be pursued.”