MOVING the vulnerable coastal railway line between Dawlish and Teignmouth out to sea is the best option for protecting the line for the future at a cost of £500 million, rail bosses have confirmed.

Plans have been unveiled which would see the line brought out about 30 metres away from the existing line, along a stretch between the two towns.

Network Rail has confirmed it is hoping to move the line and had previously said that it wants to build a 400m causeway near Teignmouth.

The causeway option would see the line rebuilt from the tunnel at Smugglers’ Lane, out on to the beach past Sprey Point, and then would curve back inland towards Teignmouth.

This option would cost up to £500 million.

Before a final decision is made, there will be full public consultation as the scheme would mean the loss of a section of beach.

However, the alternative option which is to remove parts of the unstable cliffs would mean the line would have to close completely for six to 12 months.

Meanwhile, investigations are currently ongoing with world leading engineers along the whole of the most vulnerable stretch.

Detailed geological and marine studies are now under way to understand what is happening to the cliffs and coastline.

This work is going on for the next few weeks as site surveys are undertaken across the area including surveying the sea bed.

MP Anne-Marie Morris, who visited the site with Network Rail bosses, explained: ‘One of the challenges is the cliffs at Teignmouth.

‘This option is the most expensive and the most complicated.

‘Sensibly Network Rail have decided they can’t level the cliffs because it would close the line.

‘So they are looking at how the causeway will work but it will mean a loss of some beach at Holcombe.

‘There’s no other way of doing it and we need the railway line.

‘It’s good that the Government is on side.

‘It’s a scheme we’ve all been hoping and waiting for and I am very pleased.

‘This is not just good for my constituents but the entire South West.

‘We have been looking into these works since the collapse of the Dawlish sea wall in 2014 and what the best solution will be.

‘There needs to be a full consultation with residents over the loss of beach at Holcombe and Teignmouth.

‘We are looking at Autumn 2018 for this.

‘It’s great news and shows the government is delivering on its promise to make the line sustainable in the long term.

‘We are moving forward and it’s good to see our Orange Army back.’

Further work planned includes improvements to the sea wall at Dawlish.

The plan is to introduce a slight curve which will make it even more resilient to any impact from waves.

The tunnels are vulnerable to rock falls so Network Rail is proposing to install ‘avalanche shelters’ which will catch the rocks as they fall before reaching the line itself.

If approved, the work could be completed by 2026.

In 2016, several options for the track, which is constantly under attack from the sea on one side and crumbling cliffs on the other, were outlined in a study by Network Rail which has taken more than two years to prepare.

It stated that the largest section of works is the mile-long stretch between Smuggler’s and Teignmouth, where the track is closely confined at the base of the 90-metre cliffs, including the Woodlands Avenue cliff which failed in 2014.

The 14-page report said: ‘The preferred option is to move the track alignment seaward onto a reclaimed foundation, protected by a rock revetment coastal defence.

‘Moving the track seaward allows for the provision of a cliff buttress that would protect the cliff, preventing slip failure.’