Sea wall at Dawlish is already put to good use
NETWORK Rail have shared pictures of the severe weather that resulted in waves crashing over the Dawlish railway wall – saying it shows why the new sea wall is so vital.
The waves as a result of Wednesday’s wet and windy weather crashed over the existing sea wall at Dawlish and flooded part of the railway between the station to the Coastguard breakwater, temporarily disrupting train services.
But at the other end of Dawlish at Marine Parade, where the first phase of new sea wall has been completed, the railway remained unaffected and free from flooding thanks to the sea-wall design and curved top to deflect waves back towards the sea.
Network Rail said that the difference shows why their ongoing work to build a new sea wall is so vital.
The work on the second section of the new, bigger sea wall at Dawlish will provide greater protection to the railway and the town from rising sea levels and extreme weather for generations to come, they say.
The plans for the section of 415 metres between Coastguards and Colonnade breakwaters includes a new, taller sea wall incorporating a highlevel wider and safer public promenade, and pedestrian access to the beach.
An accessible footbridge with lifts for the railway station that would allow anyone to access either platform is also included, while restoration work would take place on the rooms in the downside station platform building.
Construction of this next section of the £80 million upgrade will take around two years to complete and follows years of detailed studies, designs and joint working between worldleading marine, coastal and railway engineering experts.
The section from Dawlish station to the Coastguard breakwater east of the station is expected to be completed in late 2021, while the section between the station and the Colonnade breakwater, which will link up the new wall at Marine Parade, will then start to be built. A major aspect of this work involves the use of an innovative eightleg, self-contained walking jack-up barge, known as a ‘Wavewalker’ – which is only one of its kind in Europe.
It will be the first time this type of barge has been used to maintain the UK rail network.