Media centre

Friday 7 Feb 2014

Cambrian Coast Railway - Update

Region & Route:

| Wales & Western: Wales & Borders

| Wales & Western

Network Rail is planning to re-open the section of Cambrian Coast railway between Dovey Junction and Barmouth next week.

The weekend weather forecast is for more storms but should this pass without major incident, then services will be running between Machynlleth and Barmouth on Monday (10th February).

The Cambrian Coast line has been closed following the unprecedented storm damage earlier this year. The railway, which runs between Dovey Junction and Pwllheli, was battered by the high tides and storm surge in the first week of January. This resulted in damage to sea defences and embankments, the loss of rail ballast to the sea and debris including rocks and boulders littering the line.

A number of locations along the line were hit and Network Rail is undertaking a phased programme to repair and re-open the line. The work schedule has been progressing well despite the continuing run of severe storms and high tides, which did cause further damage along the railway.

The overall work programme includes removing thousands of tonnes of debris from the railway environment, replacing sea walls and other sea defences, and relaying new track and ballast.

The programme to repair the section of the line from Barmouth to Pwllheli is currently on schedule to complete in mid-May. The anticipated final cost for the full works to re-open the Cambrian coast railway is estimated to be in the region of £10m.

Mark Langman, route managing director for Network Rail Wales, said: “The Welsh coastline has been hit hard by this run of storms and the railway has bore the brunt in many locations.”

“People in the region rely on the railway and our first priority was to pull together a plan to re-open the line as soon as it is safe to do so. That plan has seen workers operating in really challenging conditions and it’s great news that we’re ready to open the first section.”

“Our focus continues on the significant damage north of Barmouth, with an aim to get it open ahead of the Whitsun holiday period.”

“I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank passengers and communities right along the line for their continued patience.”

The recent run of Winter storms have highlighted the importance of a robust strategy to manage the railway’s coastal defences.

The development of the Coastal Asset Management Plan in Wales, which Network Rail has been conducting since May 2013, will allow the Wales route to manage all of the 34 miles of sea defences and to help mitigate the impact of extreme weather and changing climate on coastal routes.

The long-term strategy builds on the existing annual £1.2m programme to maintain and renew the railway sea defences in Wales and is aimed at boosting rail resilience using data based on increased frequency of severe weather and rising sea level predictions to focus on assets requiring investment to ensure the safety of the railway.

Mark Langman added:

“In Wales, we have a programme to modernise the railway right across the country. Part of this plan is designed to ensure that the railway is more resilient to future changes in the climate. We’re now seeing damaging storms with seemingly increasing frequency and it is our job to effectively plan to meet this challenge.”

“The importance of this strategy has come into sharp focus in recent months following a number of powerful storms. Severe damage to the railway has occurred at Ferryside in Carmarthenshire, Mostyn in North Wales and on several sections of the Cambrian line. In these cases sea defences were breached causing widespread damage and major disruption to rail services.”

Comprising four phases, the strategy will become vital in informing our maintenance and renewal strategy of railway sea defences into the future.