The work is set to be finished in early 2024. Credit: Riviera Line and South West Coast Path by N Chadwick/commons.wikimedia.org.

Construction company BAM has announced its commencement of work on a cliff resilience project for a railway line in South West England.

The builder will focus on the cliffs between the towns of Dawlish and Holcombe, an effort that will further strengthen the resilience of the key rail route.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Data Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

Related Company Profiles

View all

The project is being undertaken for Network Rail and includes the construction of several protective measures such as netting designed to retain the cliffs in select high-risk areas and catch gates that will halt any cliff debris before it reaches the railway.

Network Rail senior programme manager Ewen Morrison said: “The work is part of the wider South West Rail Resilience Programme, which was set up following the storm of 2014 to help protect the railway between Dawlish and Teignmouth from the effects of extreme weather.”

The £34.7m, government-funded project includes the installation of coir matting on the cliff face, as well as 19,700m² of stainless-steel netting fastened by more than 6,000 soil nails drilled to depths of up to 13m in the cliff face.

The nails are made of both stainless steel and galvanised steel in an innovative attempt to provide the finest value. The galvanised portion of the nails will be set deeper into the cliff and hence corrosion-free.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

The project is anticipated to continue until early next year.

BAM regions and transport managing director Alan Cox said: “The wide variety of engineering solutions needed to achieve this resilience in a very challenging environment plays to our strengths. Together with Network Rail and the local stakeholders, we aim to continue to deliver the best value whilst minimising disruption to passengers and the public alike.”