€230 million programme to protect Dublin Rosslare line from erosion

A major €230 million climate resilience programme to protect sections of the Dublin to Rosslare rail line from the effects of climate change has been launched by Iarnród Éireann.

THE East Coast Railway Infrastructure Protection Projects (ECRIPP), funded by the National Transport Authority under the National Development Plan 2021-2030, will, through a series of interventions along the route, seek to protect the 168 kilometre (104 mile) route between Dublin and Rosslare Europort. Just under half of the route’s length (77km) lies adjacent to coastal or estuarine environment and is vulnerable to the impacts of climate change: 60km from Merrion Gates near Booterstown to Wicklow; and 17km in the Wexford to Rosslare area.

Detailed design and planning works, including environmental assessments and statutory submissions will be delivered under the first phase of the programme, for which Jacobs Engineering has been contracted as multi-disciplinary consultants.

Coastal railway construction and maintenance has always been a challenging environment, and throughout its history interventions have been required to protect the line from impacts on embankments, water coming over the line and coastal erosion. The route has been moved inland a few times, including between Killiney and Bray in 1915, around Bray Head and between Greystones and Kilcoole in 1970.

However, the frequency and severity of impacts are increasing, with climate change causing more impacts in the last 20 years than in the previous 100 years.

ECRIPP has been developed following climate resilience studies undertaken by Iarnród Éireann in 2018 to ensure an effective preventative approach to the protection of the line.

With indicative costs of €230 million (2020 costs) across its life, it will be delivered over the next seven years under a series of work packages for each major location:

■ Merrion to Dun Laoghaire;

■ Dalkey Tunnel to Killiney Station;

■ Bray North;

■ Bray Head to Greystones North Beach;

■ Greystones South to Newcastle;

■ Newcastle to Wicklow; and

■ Rosslare.

Options such as breakwaters, beach nourishment, onshore revetment strengthening and other interventions will be subject to detailed design in the first phase of the programme.

IÉ spokesperson Barry Kenny said that the time for “sticking plaster measures” has passed.

“Historically, it is not something that is new to the railway,” added Mr Kenny. “The area in Bray Head, as railway people would know, has seen the line diverted three times in the early part of its existence, but it is just the intensity and the increase in frequency of these issues that require a major programme, rather than sticking plaster measures.”

KIERAN MARSHALL Right: Class 22000 Nos. 8129+8121+8104 head north around Bray Head with the 12.30 Greystones-Malahide DART service on November 6, 2021. The old Brunel tunnels are visible to the right, a victim of coastal erosion over the decades with line being moved inland to its current alignment in 1876.

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