This Friday (5th) is the 7 year anniversary of the Dawlish storms and major work has taken place since to protect the wall and it's railway line.
The severe storms battered England’s southern coast and the sea-front railway running through Dawlish, Devon, felt the full force of the wind and rain. Under severe duress, the sea wall gave way, compromising an 80-metre stretch of railway, which washed into the sea.
Network Rail reacted quickly, completing emergency repairs and opening the railway within six weeks and re-opening the restored sea wall in August 2015.
Even as the railway opened, Network Rail was aware that a more extensive improvement to the sea wall would be required to guarantee the future of the coastal railway. Advice from climatologists and coastal erosion experts suggested that the events of 2014 were highly likely to happen again.
In an era of rising sea levels and increasingly severe weather events, a more robust, long-term solution was required to safeguard the railway.
In 2019, work began to Phase One of the new £80 million Dawlish sea wall, a reinforced concrete design which will provide increased protection for the railway and Dawlish town centre while also providing locals and holiday-makers with an attractive sea-front promenade.
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