BAM Nuttall is starting work on a £37.4 million cliff resilience project for Network Rail that will protect an iconic coastal railway line for future generations.
Image Network Rail: aerial view of Coryton Cove and Kennaway Tunnel near Dawlish
Following BAM’s successful delivery of the Dawlish sea wall, the team’s focus will move to cliffs between Dawlish and Holcombe, further increasing the resilience of this vital rail link to the South West.
The project will involve the installation of a series of protection measures, including netting designed to retain the cliffs in some high-risk locations, as well as catch fences, which will stop any cliff material before it reaches the railway.
The £34.7 million government-funded project involves installing coir matting on the cliff face, followed by 19,700 square metres of stainless steel netting, secured by more than 6,000 soil nails drilled to depths of up to 13m into the face of the cliff.
The nails are part stainless and part galvanised stee - the galvanised part of the nails will be deeper in the cliff, so will be protected from corrosion.
In the areas that fall within the Dawlish Cliffs Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), temporary grey/blue matting will be installed over the cliff face for the safety of workers, which will be removed once the netting is installed.
The work is expected to take until spring 2024.
Alan Cox, BAM managing director of regions and transport, said:
“BAM is delighted to be continuing to increase the resilience of this vital rail link to the South West. Ever since the original emergency repair work in 2014, we have established strong connections with both local supply chains and local businesses to ensure maximum benefit is derived from the scheme in the local area.
“The wide variety of engineering solutions needed to achieve this resilience in a very challenging environment plays to our strengths. Together with Network Rail and the local stakeholders we aim to continue to deliver best value whilst minimising disruption to passengers and public alike.
Network Rail senior programme manager Ewen Morrison said:
“The work is part of the wider South West Rail Resilience Programme, which was set up following the storm of 2014 to help protect the railway between Dawlish and Teignmouth from the effects of extreme weather. It follows on from the construction of the new sea wall at Dawlish and the rockfall shelter just north of Parson’s Tunnel, which is nearing completion.
"Backed by Government funding, the resilience programme is protecting this crucial route from extreme weather resulting in more reliable train journeys for passengers while boosting connectivity and growing the economy across the South West."
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