Rail·Network Rail Dawlish Sea Wall·—·Network Rail Dawlish Sea Wall

Network Rail Dawlish Sea Wall

8m height recurve design · 120-year design life · coastal rail protection

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Key insight

Designing for a 120-year service life with sea level rise projections built in from the outset avoids costly retrofitting and protects a strategically critical transport link.

Transferability to UK: HighDirectly applicable to other coastal rail and road infrastructure at risk from wave overtopping and storm surge.

Reconstruction of the iconic Dawlish sea wall to protect the coastal rail line connecting South West England to the rest of the network, following catastrophic collapse in the 2014 storms. The new wall is designed for 120-year service life accounting for sea level rise.

Climate drivers

Sea level riseStorms and high windsWave overtoppingCoastal erosion

Impacts

→Coastal flooding→Storm surge→Track damage→Line closure

Adaptation measures

  • Sea wall reconstruction to 8m height
  • Recurve wave return design
  • Rock armour apron
  • 120-year design life specification

Assets affected

Sea wallTrackRailway formationCoastal infrastructure

Investment

Approximately £80m (sea wall reconstruction)

Band: £10m–£100m

Delivery period

—

  • The Dawlish railway connects communities, businesses and visitors in 50 towns and cities in the South West with the rest of the UK . The railway frequently experiences flooding due to powerful sea waves, leading to service disruptions and costly repairs .
  • In February 2014, very strong winds combined with high seas severely damaged the railway. The storm breached the sea wall, washing away 80 metres of track and station platforms at Dawlish railway station . This resulted in an eight-week closure and £35 million in repair costs with the immediate response including measures such as a temporary sea wall made from shipping containers, rebuilding and fortifying the breach, repairing dozens of sites along a four mile stretch of railway, installing a temporary signalling system, and extensive repairs to Dawlish station .
  • With rising sea levels, the risk of disruption will only increase. Projections indicate that by 2040, extreme weather events could disrupt the line for 40 days annually, increasing to 120 days per year by 2100 .

Ref: ID_46 · Network Rail Dawlish Sea Wall · Curated & verified by HIVE

Transferability to UK: High

Directly applicable to other coastal rail and road infrastructure at risk from wave overtopping and storm surge. Recurve design and high-specification design life are transferable to UK port structures and coastal highways.

UK contexts

Coastal rail linesCoastal highwaysPort sea defencesUK south-west coastal infrastructure

South West England

Transfer to other sectors (AI)