Dawlish sea wall collapse shuts key south Devon rail route

Dawlish sea wall collapse has partially closed the only railway line into the south-west of England, after storm damage brought down sections of the wall running beside the tracks.

This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

Great Western Railway (GWR) told passengers not to attempt to travel on the Exeter St Davids to Newton Abbot line because of Storm Ingrid damage at Dawlish, as reported by BBC News.

On Saturday, the sea wall in the town collapsed in two places as Storm Ingrid hit the south Devon coast. Network Rail issued a black alert — its highest warning — while 12ft (4m) waves struck the sea wall.

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Dawlish sea wall collapse and the line closure

A black alert has been used only once before since a storm destroyed sections of track around Dawlish in February 2014, a period also discussed by Railway Supply. In its latest service update, GWR said the lines between Exeter St Davids and Newton Abbot would remain closed until further notice, with ongoing updates published via Great Western Railway live network updates.

The operator repeated its advice not to travel on the route, and said replacement transport is available at Exeter St Davids and Newton Abbot for those who still need to make their journey.

Storm Ingrid damage leaves debris on the railway line

Speaking to BBC Radio Devon, spokesman James Davis said the storm left “significant debris” on a two-mile (3.2km) section of the Dawlish track. About half of it was cleared on Saturday, but the rest still needed to be removed. The line would then need to be inspected before any reopening could take place.

Replacement transport and limited service plans

Davis said Great Western Railway was “cautiously optimistic” that part of the route could reopen to run a limited service, though he warned of major disruption. Any restart, he added, depends on what Network Rail finds during its inspection and on completing the repair work.

For passengers travelling further afield, he said there is only a limited bus replacement service operating. It cannot match normal rail capacity because “those buses just don’t exist in the country to provide a like for like service,” he said, urging people to consider whether their trip is necessary.

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