Network Rail is starting work next week on the second section of the new, bigger sea wall at Dawlish which will provide greater protection to the railway and town from rising sea levels and extreme weather for generations to come.
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 world-leading marine, coastal and railway engineering experts.
The first part, from Dawlish station to the Coastguard breakwater east of the station is
expected to be completed in late 2021.The final part between the station and the
Colonnade breakwater, which will link up the new wall at Marine Parade, will start to be built shortly after.
A major aspect of this work involves the use of an innovative eight-legged,
self-contained walking jack-up barge, known as a ‘Wavewalker’, which is only one of its kind in Europe and it will be the first time this type of barge has been used to maintain the UK rail network. This innovative piece of equipment will be used to safely access the sea face of the railway embankment along Marine Parade and help deliver the piling at the sea wall. The ‘Wavewalker’ benefits from being able to operate across high tidal ranges that particularly impact the south Devon coastline, that would otherwise restrict the number of hours it is possible to safely work on the sea wall.
Once complete the 415 metre section of new sea wall will be higher than the existing wall; have a curved edge to send waves back towards the sea; have a high-level, wider and safer promenade; pedestrian access to the beach and an accessible station footbridge with lifts.
Network Rail says the scheme will also deliver an important boost to the south Devon economy with as much as £10 million expected to be spent with local businesses during the second phase of work.
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