ECRIPP is required to defend long sections of the Dublin to Rosslare coastal railway line from erosion and flooding for the next 100 years. It is believed to be the largest coastal protection scheme in north-western Europe.
The south-east railway carries Dublin Area Rapid Transport (DART) and mainline services and runs for 168km from Dublin to Rosslare. Just under half of the route length (77km) runs adjacent to a coastal or estuarine environment making it vulnerable to the impact of climate change.
ECRIPP is planned to defend the railway infrastructure and boost coastal resilience in the face of a changing climate with its associated rising sea levels.
The frequency of track washout, where the sea has eroded the land beneath the railway, along with wave overtopping onto the tracks, has increased in the past 20 years. These incidents have had significant impacts on performance and safety as well as major losses of land and habitats.
Jacobs will be responsible for designing and modelling options such as breakwaters, beach nourishment, onshore revetment strengthening and other interventions during the first phase of the programme. Irish Rail expects the projects to be completed in stages within seven years.
“Our studies have identified that in the last 20 years there have been more storm events than there have been in the last 100 years, thereby increasing and accelerating the erosion rates and the climate change impacts,” said Irish Rail infrastructure programme manager Aidan Bermingham.
“Without this project we would just be fixing it all the time and that incurs problems such as getting access to land. There is a risk there would be pockets where the embankment would become unstable, and we would never let it get to that stage.”
Jacobs’ vice president in charge of buildings & infrastructure in Ireland, Dom Lynch, said: “Our support will focus on environmentally-led design, with careful attention to the environmental sensitivities of the local area.
“Protecting the Dublin to Rosslare coastal line will build long-term resilience and preserve vital connectivity, local economies, and communities, while benefiting the next generation.”
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