164 wall panels, 203 pre-cast blocks and 189 recurve units which return waves back to the sea have now been installed on Dawlish‘s new sea wall.

The groundbreaking design and height of the new sea wall will support cuts in delays and disruption for passengers by reducing the likelihood of tracks flooding and also making the line fit to reopen more quickly following major storms.

The first section of the new sea wall was completed in July 2020 and runs for an impressive 360 metres, along Marine Parade, and is located southwest of Dawlish station. The building of the second section of the new sea wall is a huge 415 metres in length and stretches from Coastguard breakwater which is located northeast of Dawlish stations running to Colonnade breakwater saw work begin during November 2020.

Substantial progress has been made on the installation of the wall panels, blocks and recurve units and has seen Network Rail and contractors BAM Nutall make a determined effort to finish the link bridge that will join the two sections of public, accessible promenade alongside the new stilling basin where Dawlish Water runs into the sea.

The work will now complete in December due to the discovery of an uncharted gas main back in June which saw piling to install foundations for the new link bridge which is near to Colonnade viaduct.

Kings Walk promenade and the beach at Colonnade underpass will only be open on an intermittent basis due to ongoing construction and in order to keep members of the public safe. Great efforts are being made to reopen access for the public and once it is safe to do so, times will be communicated ahead.

The final stage of the giant project will see a new accessible footbridge complete with lifts built at Dawlish station, bringing easy step-free access for passengers, residents and visitors for the very first time. Work on the bridge is set to begin in September and is expected to be open in time for summer 2023.

Ewen Morrison, Network Rail senior programme manager, said: “Achieving resilience for the railway in Dawlish is a major miles

tone not just for Network Rail, but for our passengers, the town and the southwest region as a whole. It’s what we set out to do when we were awarded £80m of funding from the Department of Transport back in 2019.

“This landmark moment is testament to the hard work and coordination of staff from Network Rail and our contractors BAM Nuttall, who have worked under extremely challenging conditions around the tides and through the seasons as well as during the Covid pandemic.

“We would like to thank everyone for their continued patience and understanding while we complete the work as quickly and safely as possible.

“As we near completion of the sea wall, it’s exciting to know the positive impact this project will have in Dawlish, which will provide greater protection to the railway from rising sea levels and extreme weather for generations to come.”

The new sea wall is part of the South West Rail Resilience Programme by Network Rail which began in 2014 to improve the resilience of the railway from Dawlish and Teignmouth in Devon.