An artist’s impression of how the rockfall shelter extension at Parsons Tunnel will look once completed next year.
NETWORK RAIL
CONSTRUCTION of a 209m-long extension to a rockfall shelter over the railway between Dawlish and Holcombe is expected to begin in August after Network Rail was granted approval by Teignbridge District Council.
Morgan Sindall Infrastructure has been awarded the contract, worth £28 million, to construct the extension north of Parsons Tunnel, which will take around a year to complete. Unlike the previous extension a century ago, the new section will be open-sided and constructed with modern materials.
Network Rail says that preparation work on top of the cliffs, which began in March, is being closely monitored to minimise disruption to wildlife and biodiversity.