MAJOR work in needed to protect the main railway line at Powderham.
The Environment Agency says there are risks water is eroding the ground underneath the track running along the Exe estuary.
The agency is now working with Network Rail to plan a full replacement of banks at Powderham along the line which runs between Exeter and Dawlish.
A climate change expert has said rail infrastructure along the coast would face increasing challenges in the coming years.
An Environment Agency spokesman said it was working with Network Rail to ‘improve resilience’ at Powderham.
The spokesman said: ‘We are now in the early stages of planning a full replacement of the banks to ensure the railway line, properties within Exminster and the Exminster Marshes reserve are protected.’
The Environment Agency and Network Rail said they were monitoring the embankment through the winter for any immediate issues.
The agency previously said it was concerned by the age and construction of the embankment, worsened by burrowing animals and water passing through it.
Prof Richard Betts, a specialist in climate impact from the University of Exeter, has said there are potential concerns anywhere near the sea as sea levels and rising and global temperatures increasing.
He said ground next to the water could see erosion which would be increased after story weather conditions.
Andrea Davis, who is chairman of Peninsula Transport, which brings transport bodies together in Cornwall, Devon and Somerset, and also a Conservative councillor and deputy leader of Devon County Council, said: ‘With sea level rises which we know are predicted to go up, we do know there is an issue.
‘There is a task force going out there from Network Rail, working with the Environment Agency, looking at those predictions and the areas of the rail network that are most susceptible to future flooding.’
This is the latest stretch of this part of the line to be due for resilience improvements.