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Friday 29 Mar 2019

Dawlish drop-in event planned to update residents on new sea wall as South West rail resilience plans progress

Region & Route:

Wales & Western: Western

| Wales & Western

Network Rail is inviting residents to a drop-in session in Dawlish to update local communities on the new sea wall in the town that will improve the resilience of the stretch of railway that connects the South West with the rest of the country.

The community drop-in event follows on from Secretary of State for Transport, the Rt Hon. Chris Grayling MP’s recent announcement that £80m will be made available to increase the height of the sea wall at Dawlish to protect this vital rail artery for the region.

The event will be held in Dawlish on:

• Wednesday 10 April – Dawlish Methodist Church Hall, Dawlish, EX7 9PB from 3pm to 7pm.

This will be followed by further community engagement events in Holcombe and Teignmouth later in the spring which will provide updates for those areas.

At the drop-in event expert engineers and representatives from Network Rail will provide an update on the details of the recently submitted plans for an improved sea wall at Dawlish as well as the ongoing work to repair breakwaters.

Mark Langman, managing director of Network Rail’s western route, said: “We been working with world-leading engineers and developed our plans for a new sea wall at Dawlish which will improve the resilience of the main rail artery in and out of Devon and Cornwall.

“Following on from the extremely well attended public event last November and the commitment of £80m of funding, announced by Secretary of State earlier this year, we are holding our next event in Dawlish. We look forward to talking to local residents about the proposed plans for the new sea wall which provides vital protection for both the railway and the town itself.”

Anyone who is unable to attend the drop-in sessions can contact the national helpline on 03457 11 41 41 or can follow @SouthWestRRP on Twitter or Facebook.