Section two of £80 million Dawlish sea wall completed.
The transformation of Dawlish seafront is complete after 415m of new promenade along, with other fully accessible public areas, opened to the public on 25 May 2023.
The second section of the new sea wall between Coastguards and Colonnade breakwaters will help protect the railway from extreme weather and rising sea levels for generations to come
It is linked to the first section at Marine Parade by a new footbridge, running parallel to the railway viaduct.
Completion of the £80m Government-funded project means the community and visitors to Dawlish can now enjoy the accessible high-level promenade all the way from Boat Cove to Coastguards footbridge, where it then joins the original sea wall. The beach in the same section has also reopened to the public now that construction is complete.
What did we do?
Construction began on the second section in November 2020 following completion of the first phase, which runs for 360m alongside Marine Parade and opened to the public in July that year.
An innovative eight-legged, self-contained walking jack-up barge, known as a ‘Wavewalker’, was used during the construction – the first time this type of barge was used to upgrade the UK rail network. It allowed the team to work across high tidal ranges that particularly impact the south Devon coastline.
The wall itself was substantially completed in July 2022, when all 164 front panels, 203 pre-cast blocks and 189 recurve units which return waves back out to sea were in place. This milestone gave the iconic stretch of railway line immediate greater resilience against waves that flood the track, leading to potential closures and delays.
Work was then carried out to complete the promenade, seating areas, ramped access to the beach and a new stilling basin, where Dawlish Water runs under the viaduct into the sea.
The new section of wall wraps around Dawlish station, where work is continuing to build an accessible footbridge with lifts for passengers, which is set to be completed later in 2023.
Although it offers 21st Century protection and full accessibility, the new sea wall features many nods to the town’s history; the footprint of the old Coastguards boathouse is shown on the new promenade, while the wall in front of the station features outlines of the alcoves that previously provided seating. Reclaimed stone from the old wall has been used to create new benches.
The design of the 8m high sea wall, which is 2.5m taller than the previous one, followed years of detailed studies, designs and joint working between world-leading marine, coastal and railway engineering experts. It was developed as part of the South West Rail Resilience Programme, put in place to improve resilience between Exeter and Newton Abbot, after the major storm of 2014.
The entire sea wall project has given the local economy a £15million boost through Network Rail and its contractor BAM Nuttall’s commitment to using local labour, materials and accommodation, wherever possible
What are the benefits?
The project will:
Help to protect the railway from the sea, leading to fewer line closures and a quicker recovery after large storm events to enable a normal service to resume.
Improve the experience for passengers getting on and off trains during high tides and stormy weather by reducing the overtopping and spray reaching the platform.
Help preserve the coastal path for future generations, as well as create opportunities to enhance the promenade, including more seating.
Protect the new, higher-level promenade from inundation by beach material, making the area more accessible for all.
Remove pigeon roosts, leading to a cleaner promenade and improved water quality.
Make travel easier for passengers with disabilities/pushchairs/heavy luggage by providing an accessible footbridge.
Improve safety by removing the barrow crossing currently used for escorting passengers with disabilities.
Potentially bring more of the station building into use and provide longevity and protection to the listed station building itself.
Project history
Dawlish station platform and tracks
The railway is a vital artery, which connects communities, businesses and visitors in 50 towns and cities in the South West with the rest of the UK. Since the damage caused by heavy storms which resulted in an eight-week closure of the railway in 2014, Network Rail has been developing plans to improve the resilience of the railway between Exeter and Newton Abbot.
The South West Rail Resilience Programme was established to identify and implement the best options to improve rail resilience between Dawlish and Teignmouth, helping to avoid a repetition of the events of 2014.
Following the events of 2014, we undertook a complex and expensive repair operation to reinstate the line between Dawlish and Teignmouth, this work cost more than £35m.
Since then, 2014 we have been working continuously on the line and putting together plans to safeguard it for future generations. This includes three studies in 2014, 2016 and 2018.
In November 2018, a nine-month plan of work began to repair the breakwaters at Dawlish.
In early 2019, the Department for Transport committed £80m for a new sea wall for Dawlish, from Coastguards breakwater to Boat Cove and in summer 2019, we started work on the first section at Marine Parade.
We have now developed plans for the remaining section, which is to be built between the Coastguard and Colonnade breakwaters, a 415m stretch between the 2014 sea wall work and the current Marine Parade scheme.
With the support of world leading coastal, marine and railway engineers we have been investigating the best long-term solutions to make this section of the railway more resilient.
We believe the option we are proposing – a new, taller sea wall with high-level promenade – offers the best solution between the Coastguards and Colonnades breakwaters.
There are a number of varied engineering challenges along this 415m stretch, including the Grade II listed Dawlish station building; Dawlish Water stilling basin, where the stream runs out into the sea; and the town gateway.
We undertook a full option-selection process, which considered a series of potential solutions. These included combinations of the following to deliver the required resilience:
Offshore breakwaters
Revetment
Raised sea wall with high level promenade
Raised sea wall with low level promenade.
Full details are provided in our option selection report below.
To make sure that we found the right resilience solution for the Dawlish railway sea defence, Network Rail worked with HR Wallingford, a globally recognised leader in solving challenges wherever water interacts with people, infrastructure and the environment. Dr Tim Pullen, Principal Engineer for HR Wallingford and project director in charge of modelling the solutions for improving railway resilience in Dawlish explained the findings of their research; whether there is such a thing as ‘the perfect sea defence’; and why other options were discounted.
Part 1 – Findings and solutions
Part 2 – Promenade level
Part 3 – Perfect sea wall
The new, taller sea wall, with a high-level promenade, will be built in concrete pre-cast panels. It will run from the new ramps/access that are being built at the west end of Dawlish station, all the way to the Coastguards breakwater.
The new wall will add 4.2m to the height of the current 3.8m promenade, and its toe will extend, on average, 2.8m further out towards the sea. The wall includes a recurve at the top, as at Marine Parade, to help deflect waves and reduce ‘overtopping’ of water onto the track.
The new high-level promenade, which will be at approximately the same height as the current platforms, will provide a more spacious, safer, level surface for users. It will be wider than the current promenade (varying from 3m to 4m) and users will be protected by a curved parapet wall on the seaward side which is approximately waist height (1.1m). This forms part of the wall’s overall height.
There will be a number of raised points with benches along the promenade. This will allow more people to enjoy the views as the parapet will be reduced to 0.8m with a small railing on top.
Artist’s impression view of new promenade towards Dawlish station with train
On Sunday 8 November the WaveWalker Jack-up barge arrived into Dawlish. Over approximately three months , it will be installing around 280 piles between Dawlish station and the Coastguard breakwater, which will form the foundation of the new sea wall. The WaveWalker is the 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.
In addition to the sea wall itself, the project also includes the Grade 2 listed railway station. The existing platform, a timber construction, overhangs the sea wall and has been rebuilt many times in the past due to sea damage.
Existing timber platform
The platform has been reconstructed and realigned to make it easier for people to step onto and off trains as the gap from platform to train will be reduced. This is especially important for wheelchair/pushchair users.
Wall and promenade at Dawlish station
Although the view of the station building from the beach will be partially obscured by the new wall, the structure will protect it from the elements and protect it in the years ahead. Increased resilience will also give the potential for parts of the building to be brought back into use.
In Autumn 2022, we started the construction of an accessible footbridge with lifts for Dawlish station, following prior approval from Teignbridge District Council. It is set to open in later in 2023.
Along with the platform improvements, it will bring huge benefits to passengers – especially those in wheelchairs, using pushchairs or carrying heavy luggage.
We have recently made some changes to our original design from 2020, which will make it more slender, as well as simpler and quicker to build, bringing the footbridge into use sooner .
The updated design also uses less structural stainless steel, which has more than trebled in cost since the project began. However, the finished bridge will have a stainless steel and glass parapet – allowing passengers to enjoy the view as they cross. The lift shafts will be finished in grey, textured concrete to blend in with the new sea wall.
The current footbridge will remain in place as an integral part of the station platform buildings for those that wish to use it.
To the south end of the scheme, the current ramped access to the beach adjacent to the station building will be replaced with a ramp. To the north end of the scheme, the existing steps will be replaced.
South of the station, the new high-level promenade will continue onto a new footbridge, running parallel to the existing Colonnade viaduct.
The bridge will link the second section of the new sea wall and promenade to the first section at Marine Parade.
At the other end, it will provide a direct link onto the station platform and the new high-level promenade towards Coastguards.
Artist’s impression of new link bridge to give continuous path
To improve resilience, we are reconstructing the existing ‘stilling basin’ boundary wall on its existing footprint with a much stronger structure.
This will take energy out of the waves and extend the life of the basin. The reduction in energy will reduce some of the beach material being deposited under the viaduct and protect the new link bridge and existing structure.
Depending on rising sea levels, it is possible that further work to the basin will be required in 30 to 40 years. We are carrying out modelling to assess this.
Artist’s impression of area around basin
Coastguard’s boathouse
To achieve the level of resilience required by providing a much higher sea wall, we had to demolish the Coastguards boathouse owned by Network Rail to enable us to increase in height of the promenade/sea defence.
A footprint has been left to show where the building stood and we plan to reuse the stone in constructing new public benches within the project.
Wall panels depicting the old boathouse and the lower section of the old station building have been installed as part of the new sea wall.
Environmental implications
Detailed environmental and habitat studies have been undertaken and these concluded that the works will have a limited impact on the marine environment around Dawlish.
Any potential to cause harm during construction will be closely monitored and managed through the Marine Licence process.
The local planning authority, Teignbridge District Council, granted prior approval and Listed Building Consent for our proposals in August 2020.
The plans for ‘prior approval’ were submitted under our permitted development rights, enabling the council to formally consult the local community on the proposed designs. Listed Building Consent was sought as the works are physically attached to the Grade II listed Dawlish Station.
The letters of submission and all the supporting documents and drawings are available to download below.
Supporting documents and drawings for prior approval and Listed Building Consent
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In addition to the planning and heritage consents, an application for a Marine Licence has been submitted to the Marine Management Organisation.
