Rail services finally returned to Dawlish in south Devon on Friday after an eight week hiatus following collapse of a sea wall due to severe storms.

The line’s restoration involved rebuilding and fortifying the breach with more than 6000t of concrete and 150t of steel. Half of Dawlish station has been rebuilt and over 700m of track and ballast replaced.

Network Rail chief executive Mark Carne said: “Our army of engineers has done an amazing job of putting back together a railway that was ravaged by the elements.

“Our focus now moves to the medium and long term, looking at what can be done at Dawlish to make the current coastal route more resilient,” he added.

Full restoration of signalling and electronic equipment and rebuilding of the sea wall using original stone will be part of a less critical phase now under way.

Meanwhile Network Rail has been advised by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch to make better use of technology to assess risks to track infrastructure from landslips. Its report published last week also urges the rail operator to provide greater clarity about who should carry out visual checks for landslip risk.

A Network Rail spokesman said: “A greater focus on these areas is key to our plans over the next five years,” adding that it has set aside hundreds of millions of pounds specifically for better management of earthworks and embankments.

Six landslips investigated in the report occurred between June 2012 and February 2013. Three took place in Scotland, two in England and one in Wales.

(Photo: Network Rail)

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