Contract awarded on £28m rockfall shelter project

A contractor has been appointed on a £28m project to construct an extension of the existing rockfall shelter over the railway line between Dawlish and Holcombe in Devon.Network Rail has awarded Morgan Sindall Infrastructure the contract and said the work will create local employment opportunities and apprenticeships and provide a boost to the local supply chain.The impact of the scheme aims to create £10m in long-term opportunities for the local area.Morgan Sindall Infrastructure intends to start construction of the 209m long extension north of Parsons Tunnel in August. Construction of the rockfall shelter is expected to take a year and, once complete, will help protect trains against falling rocks along this section of vital railway that connects communities across the South West with the rest of the country.Parsons Tunnel was previously extended 100 years ago and this project will extend that further by providing a rockfall shelter in modern materials, but with open sides rather than the brick built enclosed tunnel extension.The rockfall shelter will be constructed from a series of six metre modular pre-cast concrete sections. Faced with the challenging coastal location, Morgan Sindall Infrastructure has developed an installation method to minimise the risk of weather-related disruption and reduce the impact on train services.Preparatory work at the top of the cliffs overlooking this stretch of railway began in March whereby Network Rail engineers started cutting back some of the vegetation. This work is being closely monitored to ensure the least disruption for wildlife habitats and biodiversity.This rockfall shelter is the third phase of work as part of Network Rail’s South West Rail Resilience Programme (SWRRP) and follows the two sections of new sea wall in Dawlish.