Bray to Greystones Cliff Walk: Irish Rail ‘carries out weekly inspections’ of line beneath unstable section

Irish Rail has confirmed that it carries out “weekly inspections” of the rail line that runs directly beneath the section of the Bray to Greystones Cliff Walk which was closed off following a rock slide in October 2022.

The national railway operator was responding to a question filed by Social Democrats local election candidate Aaron McCallorum, on behalf of TD Catherine Murphy, and follows an engineer’s report which highlighted the extent of the work required to secure the cliff face above the rail line.

Deputy Murphy wanted to know if Irish Rail “has engaged with either the National Transport Authority, Wicklow County Council or the Department of Transport in respect of the Bray to Greystones line in the context of passenger safety, preservation of the line / integrity of the line as a result of rock falls etc that have closed the walking trail above the line?”

In its response, from the office of the Irish Rail Chief Executive, Jim Meade, Deputy Murphy was told: “We carry out weekly inspection of our asset at Bray Head and we have [an] ongoing programme of maintenance works. The Cliff Walk is under the responsibility of Wicklow County Council (WCC).

“In terms of protection of the rail line, we have lineside containment fences and netting to catch falling debris, and will be installing further rock netting this year. In monitoring the location, if we observe any immediate concerns with the cliff walk, we will advise WCC. We also have many regular forums with WCC on a range of topics, and frequently liaise to provide insight to assist each other in our respective responsibilities at Bray Head,” it added.

The rail operator also pointed out that “separate to the ongoing program of maintenance outlined above, we are planning a major investment in coastal protection along the line between Merrion Gates and Wicklow, including Bray Head”, referring to the East Coast Railway Infrastructure Protection Project (ECRIPP), which aims to protect its infrastructure on this section of railway.

It follows a feasibility study carried out in 2017, where areas of the east coast rail line which have seen encroachment through the loss of coast of up to 20-30 metres in the last 10 years alone were identified.

This has resulted in large losses in land and habitats – like sections of the Cliff Walk – to such levels that the railway line between Dublin and Wicklow is vulnerable to further loss due to coastal erosion.

The ECRIPP hopes to mitigate against further coastal erosion, extreme weather and coastal flooding to ensure rail connectivity is maintained and five key locations have been assessed as requiring protection, including the Bray Head to Greystones North Beach section.

The project is currently at phase two, which includes physical assessment, ecological surveys, topographic surveys and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) surveys and a ground investigation to inform the design for the five key areas.

Public participation during the design process is a key element and the project has two non-statutory public consultations planned, with the first due to take place later in the year on the options for the five coastal areas. This public consultation will consider all feedback received to advance the design through to public consultation two where the preferred options will be presented.

The National Development Plan forecasts a 10-year timeline to complete the project.

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