NETWORK Rail is to spend £25m protecting the rail link between Gloucester and Newport along the Severn Estuary in and around the Purton to Gatcombe area.
Exposed to rain, wind and sea, frequent events of more extreme weather have seen the line seriously disrupted by five major landslips in the last two years. This has led to extended closures of the railway and temporary speed restrictions, delaying more than 200,000 trains.
A vital passenger and freight artery – 43 trains of steel, petrol and construction materials and supermarket goods from Tesco use the line every week – Network Rail engineers have developed a multi-million-pound plan to protect the railway’s future. The line is also the diversionary route when the Severn Tunnel is closed.
Work will begin in summer 2022 to remove more than 30,000 tonnes of material from the cliff face.