March 2020 Network Rail: Understanding the impact of the Shoreline Management Plans on the railway across Wales & Borders
Understanding the impact of the Shoreline Management Plans
on the railway across Wales & Borders – Interim Findings
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March 2020 Network Rail: Understanding the impact of the Shoreline Management Plans on the railway across Wales & Borders
Contents
Foreword 4
Introduction 5
The Case for Change 7
Today’s immediate challenges:
9
Habitat in Wales 12
Shoreline Management Plans 14
Fairbourne 16
Conwy Valley Line 17
Old Colwyn Sea Wall
A Way Forward: 18
AssetCoast 19
Rail industry funding 20
Pilot research study area: Cardigan Bay and the Cambrian Coast Line 23
Summary and roadmap to final publication 24
Appendix A: Shoreline Management Plan process flowchart 25
Appendix B: Detailed SMP policies for Cardigan Bay 32
Appendix C: SMP policy maps for Wales for each epoch from Natural Resources 33
Wales
Appendix D: Glossary
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March 2020 Network Rail: Understanding the impact of the Shoreline Management Plans on the railway across Wales & Borders
Foreword
The impact of climate change and more regular occurrence of In addition, many parts of these routes are located in areas
severe weather events, such as storms Ciara and Dennis in early which are classed as Natura 2000 sites, meaning any ‘plans or
2020, provides demonstrable evidence that much greater projects’ in these areas are subject to Habitat Regulations
planning activity will need to be undertaken to consider the which may suggest habitat compensation is required,
impact on our communities and on the other national particularly in areas affected by coastal squeeze.
infrastructure that serves these communities such as the
national road and rail networks. From a railway perspective, Coastal Groups and Local Authorities are starting to interpret
storms in recent years have had a devastating impact on the the Shoreline Management Plans, their wider policy and
railway network with a number of railway lines having had to regulatory context in Wales.
be closed, sometimes for many months. Key examples include
at Dawlish, the Conwy Valley Line and along the Cambrian Given the extent of coastal rail assets in Wales, it has been
Coast Line, all having had to be substantially rebuilt at determined that further guidance is required to raise
locations which have seen extensive storm and/or flood awareness of these impacts on the railway and how it is 1)
damage. This has had significant negative economic impacts funded for operations, maintenance and renewals, and 2) the
to those parts of the country. These events also had a longer-term strategic considerations that will require to be
significant impact on the communities they serve, with assessed to ensure alignment with regional adaptation of the
significant impacts on passengers and the movement of Shoreline Management Plans and policy.
freight. Increased levels of rain fall, and tidal surges has also
caused flooding which impacts the rail network significantly This interim document sets out the initial research undertaken,
and we can expect these phenomena to become more of the which has involved significant engagement with Welsh
norm as the world continues to get warmer and see levels Government, Natural Resources Wales, Gwynedd County
continue to rise. Council (who are leading in their Shoreline Management
adaptation planning), climate change experts, and rail industry
Shoreline management planning is becoming ever more asset management teams in Wales & Borders route. This seeks
important. Looking to the future, there will undoubtably be to highlight the challenges the rail network and industry will
difficult and in some cases particularly stark choices to be made have to face to meet the wider societal challenges of climate
as to how our communities and supporting infrastructure will change and rising sea levels. This interim assessment identifies
need to adapt to these environmental challenges. The some of the emerging gaps and their impacts arising out of the
Shoreline Management Plans nationally seeks to address these Shoreline Management Plans and the HRAs and options for
considerations by setting out a framework and timescale by working more collaboratively with wider stakeholders to meet
when the policy will be enacted to meet the challenges of these challenges. It also seeks to set out a road map for further
climate change and rising sea levels. work to be undertaken during 2020/21.This will look to assess
in greater detail the impact of the Shoreline Management
The Network Rail Wales and Borders route has the most Plans on the Wales & Borders network to provide a longer-term
extensive amount of coastal railway in GB, with a significant line of sight to inform rail funders and policy makers of when
part of the rail network located in coastal and river valley future further significant strategic planning and decisions will
locations. Often the railway in itself provides either a primary be required.
or lesser line of defence against coastal erosion simply due to
where it was constructed. This document has been produced by the Wales Strategic
Planning team who are part of the System Operator function
of Network Rail and if you would like any further information,
please contact: [email protected].
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March 2020 Network Rail: Understanding the impact of the Shoreline Management Plans on the railway across Wales & Borders
Introduction
Current situation Study Purpose, Scope and Methodology
This interim study has been produced, following discussions
The aim of this study is to outline the key risks facing the between Network Rail and Stakeholders, initially as a piece of
railway and highlighting potential options for the railway over research, to seek to provide an initial assessment of what these
the next three epochs, up to 2105. This document will be used complex issues mean for sustaining the national rail network in
to influence strategic planning within the railway and wider coastal areas, in line with prescribed policy relating to rising sea
transport network, which is laid out in the roadmap later in the levels and climate change.
document. This study is influenced by climate change and The document is structured as follows:
extreme weather which is an ever-prominent issue making The Case for Change – outlining why this document has been
headlines nationally and globally. At the time of writing, the produced and explains the global impact of climate change
UK, including parts of Wales, is recovering from the damage and how this explicitly impacts on transport systems and
caused by storms Ciara and Dennis. Not only have these storms networks.
caused widespread flooding to homes and businesses, the The next three areas highlight the current challenges that
railway has also suffered with some lines closed for several today’s railway faces:
days, and longer across the whole of Wales. There is a need to Habitat in Wales – reviewing the habitat in Wales, why this is
start considering the longer-term impact of climate change a unique challenge, and impacts arising from the need for
and more frequent extreme weather events in our strategic compliance with Habitat Regulation Assessments;
planning activity. Shoreline Management Plans (SMPs) – addressing the
outcomes of the individual SMPs which have been produced
Across GB, Wales has the largest amount of coastal railway and across GB to address future changes in coastal processes such
the continued evidence of sea level rises means a longer-term as sea level rise. This includes three specific geographical case
view is required on what the predicted future changes to the studies which illustrate examples of where extreme weather,
Welsh coastline will mean for our railway assets, passengers habitat regulations and SMPs are, and will in the future, having
and freight users. These coastal lines generally serve more rural an impact on the railway. These are at: Fairbourne, Conwy
communities, providing key social connectivity for the Valley Line and Old Colwyn Sea Wall;
passengers who use them. Due to their coastal nature these AssetCoast – detailing one of the ways Network Rail is looking
lines also have vital roles for the local and regional tourism to address these issues, including one of the tools currently
industry. used to monitor coastal railway assets;
How the railway is currently funded – explaining how
Additionally, Network Rail needs to be able to continue Network Rail is funded and governed in terms of operating,
maintaining, renewing and operating these coastal assets maintain, renewal and enhancing the rail network;
despite the specific environmental challenges which assets Pilot Research area: Cardigan Bay – detailing the immediate
face based on their localised shoreline planning and many issues facing the railway and communities on the Cambrian
locations being in conservation areas. In the future Network Coast Line;
Rail needs to understand what funding will be required for Summary and roadmap to final publication – setting out how
future asset requirements. This can only be done if shoreline this document will continue to evolve and develop to a final
planning is done collaboratively, working with local authorities publication in Spring 2021.
and other infrastructure and land owners.
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March 2020 Network Rail: Understanding the impact of the Shoreline Management Plans on the railway across Wales & Borders
Introduction cont.
Work to date has involved invaluable collaboration with a This interim document therefore seeks to outline a roadmap to
range of industry and wider stakeholders including Natural the further work needed in this regard. This work builds on early
Resources Wales and Local Authorities. engagement and activity undertaken with a number of
This interim study focuses on the more immediate forecast organisations, particularly Gwynedd County Council who is
changes in coastal processes in the Cardigan Bay area and the actively engaging with Network Rail with regard to the impact
Cambrian Coast railway line. Gwynedd County Council have of Climate Change on the Cambrian Coast Line.
been a key stakeholder as they have carried out more detailed
action planning due to the immediacy of these changes. Working with Welsh Government and Natural Resources Wales
Further work will continue following this interim study, and other Coastal Groups we will look to share our initial work
extending scope to the other coastal railway lines in Wales and and develop further policy and strategy collaboratively going
Borders, providing an indication of when further strategic forward.
planning has to be done in what areas. The summary chapter
details the roadmap this work intends to follow to final Wellbeing of Future Generations Act
publication.
Network Rail has a Network Licence obligation to lead the The Wellbeing of Future Generations Act 2015 is a legislation
planning of the future of the rail network. This study has been which applies to all public bodies in Wales and Welsh
produced under this framework as a continuous programme of Government to ensure long term sustainability is key to all their
strategic planning activity in Wales and Borders. thinking. The legislation is not applicable to Network Rail
Collaboration because the Act only applies to the 44 public bodies in Wales
This document highlights some of the significant challenges and Welsh Government. However, we felt due to the nature of
faced by regional and local communities and the national rail this Strategic Planning guidance, it is entirely relevant we
network plays a prominent role in providing access to such include how this study complies with the Act, particularly as the
locations. local authorities in Wales who lead on their own Shoreline
With climate change and other environmental factors and Management Plans, must adhere to the Act.
regulations having an impact on Network Rail’s and other
stakeholders’ infrastructure, Network Rail recognises the The purpose of the Act is to improve the social, economic,
importance of developing policy and strategies for dealing with environmental and cultural well-being of Wales. It incorporates
the impacts of climate change, in close collaboration with the seven well-being goals:
communities that the railway serves.
This recognises the need for a greater focus on how we consider • A globally responsible Wales
railway and coastal assets holistically from a strategic, • A prosperous Wales
maintenance and renewal perspective, aligned with policies • A resilient Wales
outlined in the SMPs. • A healthier Wales
• A more equal Wales
• A Wales of cohesive communities
• A Wales of vibrant culture and thriving Welsh
language
Network Rail believes that this document supports the
Wellbeing of Future Generations Act 2015 to help ensure long-
term sustainability goals.
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March 2020 Network Rail: Understanding the impact of the Shoreline Management Plans on the railway across Wales & Borders
The Case for Change
“Over 60% of the Welsh population live and Climate Change – An issue for Network Rail The Necessary Steps
work on the coast. Our coastlines and
Climate change is already having a large effect on the National It was previously suggested that nations already have the
riverbanks add great value to our well-being Rail Network and infrastructure. This is evident from incidents knowledge and resources to confront climate change. This will
with their natural beauty, biodiversity and such as extreme weather events that have affected the Conwy remain a challenge and further political impetus will be
recreation opportunities. Flooding of homes, Valley Line particularly in 2019 and 2020, the railway line at required to develop the strategy to limit the use of carbon,
Dawlish in 2014 and where there have been increased created from fossil fuels, such as coal. However, there has been
businesses and infrastructure is an occurrences of temporary speed restrictions due to the impact an increase in awareness of the impacts of climate change and
unwelcome risk to many people living in of heat on railway infrastructure. Concerningly, trends predict the devastation that it is causing. Heightened awareness is
Wales and can have severe detrimental that devastating weather events like heavy rain fall, flooding therefore encouraging governments to take action, which is
impacts on quality of life including mental and heatwaves are set to become more extreme and frequent evident through the Paris Agreement and the Welsh and UK
in the future. These extreme weather events are coinciding Governments declaring a climate emergency. The UK
health” with a rise in sea levels. Extreme weather events and rising sea Government has also announced the removal of diesel vehicles,
levels are having a negative effect on the railway network, including trains by 2040. Governmental action is key to
National Infrastructure Commission for Wales Annual destroying infrastructure and delaying passengers. Therefore, encourage businesses and the population to make changes
Report this is proving costly to the railway industry, with weather that can help curb climate change.
related delay minutes costing between £200-300m each year,
this is without the cost of repairing infrastructure. However, Therefore, in response to the climate emergency and the diesel
disruption to the rail network also has wider socio-economic ban, the rail industry is taking action to become a zero-carbon
impacts, which justifies continued investment to increase industry. Nationally, Network Rail is demonstrating leadership
weather resilience and to ensure that timely decisions are within the rail industry to take action and are undertaking
made about the future of the railway’s infrastructure, initiatives such as the traction decarbonisation network
especially when considering renewals and enhancements of strategy to help towards the goal of zero-carbon. Network Rail
infrastructure. is also currently working on a national vision and strategy for
the next 30 years. It is important that the railway industry is
All environmental threats are a challenge to the railway, but strategically thinking about the future because the solutions
one of the key threats is rising sea levels, which are predicted needed may take many years to implement to ensure the most
to continue rising to unprecedented levels. Rising sea levels appropriate and sustainable transport modes are in place to
subsequently increases the risk of flooding which has increased support communities and economies. However, another way in
by approximately 230% in the past 20 years [1]. Rising sea which the rail industry is reducing carbon emissions is through
levels and subsequent flooding is costing the UK Government its role of providing a lower-carbon transport mode compared
£540m every year; making flooding a top priority for UK to other more transport modes which emit increased emissions.
Government [2]. Rising sea levels and other extreme weather
events are worsening due to climate change, which is Specifically, within the Wales and Borders Route, there are
subsequently caused by an increase in greenhouse gases initiatives being undertaken to improve their resilience against
(GHGs). According to the World Meteorological Organisation, weather and climate change events, and in most ways this
GHGs hit a record high in 2019 with no sign of slowing down, route is ahead of the rest of the country. The Wales and Borders
let alone a decline which is needed to reverse the effects of Route is improving resilience through route-specific objectives
climate change [3]. However, it is estimated that approximately and understanding risks by assessing their weather-related
70% of sea level rises today are attributed to human activity vulnerabilities.
[1]. Therefore Governments, industries and individuals all need
to work together to curb the devastating impacts of climate
change.
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March 2020 Network Rail: Understanding the impact of the Shoreline Management Plans on the railway across Wales & Borders
The Case for Change
cont.
A National Picture A greener railway
There are several activities ongoing from a national Following the recent introduction of greener bi-mode Intercity
perspective relating to how the industry is reacting to Express Trains (capable of operating under electric or diesel
environmental issues and the challenge of climate change, traction) by Great Western Railway which operate between
some of which will be outlined in this section. London Paddington and south Wales.
Network Rail published a national Weather Resilience and Transport for Wales has also committed to delivering a greener
Climate Change Adaptation (WRCCA) Strategy in 2017 which fleet of new trains as part of their rail services contract, with
sets out the aim to provide a future rail network that is safe and plans including the introduction of bi-mode and tri-mode
more resilient to the effects of weather, now and in the future. (capable of operating under electric, diesel or battery traction)
Planning is based on UK climate projections to 2080. trains on the busy core valley lines into Cardiff. Additionally, as
The strategy incorporates the following strategic outcomes: part of the West Coast franchise, Avanti has committed to
• Infrastructure able to withstand the impact of future introducing bi-mode trains operating between London Euston
and north Wales.
weather conditions Network Rail is also responding to the UK legal target of
• Rapid recovery from the impacts of adverse and achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050, by commencing
a Traction Decarbonisation Network Study for the Department
extreme weather events for Transport (DfT). This will consider scenarios based on the
• Improved performance and safety during adverse and technologies which could be deployed on the unelectrified
network.
extreme weather conditions The Rail Delivery Group (RDG) is similarly supporting the
• Financial savings through reduced compensation industry in promoting modal shift to rail and the vision of
achieving a carbon free railway.
payments and repair costs For further information:
• Enhanced reputation and trust in the railway’s ability to [1] = SeaLevelRise.org https://sealevelrise.org/
[2] = Government Office for Science – Future of the Sea:
manage weather events. Current and Future Impacts of Sea Level Rise on the UK
Following on from the publication of the national WRCCA https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/s
Strategy, Wales and Borders has also published a local plan for ystem/uploads/attachment_data/file/663885/Future_of_the
CP6 up to 2024. There are also plans to build upon these with _sea_-_sea_level_rise.pdf
an update to the WRCCA strategy and a national Rail Industry [3] = World Meteorological Organisation
Resilience Review to follow in 2020-21. https://public.wmo.int/en/media/press-release/greenhouse-
Nationally Network Rail is also building a high-level gas-levels-atmosphere-reach-new-record
sustainability strategy which will look ahead 30 years
considering the response to challenges in all areas of
sustainable development, and supporting routes and regions to
develop their own aligned sustainability plans and
incorporating potential political, technological, social,
economic and legal drivers of change.
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March 2020 Network Rail: Understanding the impact of the Shoreline Management Plans on the railway across Wales & Borders
Habitat in Wales An introduction to biodiversity in Wales Habitat Regulations Assessment Process
Although habitat regulations have been in place since 1994,
Figure 1: Simplified view of the HRA process The varied geology and temperate climate in Wales supports a 2017 saw the introduction of the Conservation of Habitats and
rich variety of flora and fauna including some species unique Species Regulations. These regulations ensure any plan or
to Britain and Wales. Because of this rich variety, across Wales project which is likely to have a significant effect on a Natura
there are 20 Special Protection Areas for birds and 92 Special 2000 site must be subject to an appropriate assessment, which
Areas of Conservation for other rare species and threatened led to the introduction of Habitat Regulations Assessments
natural habitats. Collectively these, along with similar sites (HRA).
across Europe, are known as Natura 2000 sites, and they form HRAs consider several potential impacts of the plan or project
a conservation network of international importance for wildlife such as:
and follow legislation designed to protect the most seriously
threatened habitats and species across Europe. • Loss of habitat
• Site disturbance
The sites in Wales are shown in Figure 2 and cover more than • Water change and quality
700,000 hectares, covering 7% of Welsh land area, and 36% There are several steps to a HRA which any proposer needs to
of terrestrial waters. work through before progressing. A simplified overview of this
process is shown in Figure 1.
There is a commitment for Network Rail Wales Route included The final step in the HRA process, if a project progresses that
in the Strategic Business Plan (SBP) for the period up to 2024, far, is to identify whether any compensatory measures
to ‘minimise our impact on the environment’ and there are required. This is relevant where it is deemed the plan or project
several activities and principles in place to help support this will have an adverse effect on the site, no alternatives solutions
objective through vegetation management, innovation and exist, and the project or plan needs to proceed due to
habitat protection. Some of these activities are included in the ‘Imperative Reasons of Overriding Public Interest’ (IROPI).
summary biodiversity report produced by Network Rail (NR) Natural Resources Wales (NRW), who are accountable to Welsh
which can be found here: Ministers, are one of the consultees for HRAs in Wales. NRW is
the largest Welsh Government sponsored body whose purpose
https://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/resources/wales- is to ensure that the environment and natural resources of
route-section-6-summary-report-p2 Wales are sustainably maintained, enhanced and used. They
act as regulator for designated sites, land manager for 7% of
the land area in Wales and an environmental operator
managing over 500km of flood defences.
Network Rail hold a Memorandum of Understanding with NRW
which sets out an understanding of common objectives
between the two parties, responsibilities and general principles.
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March 2020 Network Rail: Understanding the impact of the Shoreline Management Plans on the railway across Wales & Borders
Habitat in Wales cont.
National Habitat Creation Programme What this means to Network Rail
The Shoreline Management Plans (SMPs), which are described The Network Rail Wales and Borders route has the most
in greater detail later in this document, were also subject to the extensive amount of coastal railway in GB, and most of the
HRA process. This concluded that adverse effects could not be coastal railway also features in areas which are classed as
ruled out due to the anticipated effects of coastal squeeze Natura 2000 sites, meaning any ‘plans or projects’ in these
(coastal habitat such as salt marsh being squeezed between an areas are subject to HRAs.
artificial or natural sea defence and rising sea levels), This has resulted in a number of considerations both within NR
depending on the policy defined in that area. and with NRW about firstly which projects fall into this process,
This resulted in the Welsh Government establishing the if it is deemed that compensation is required, whether NR has
National Habitat Creation Programme (NHCP) to help provide any compensatory land available, whether this land is
a strategic response to those coastal squeeze issues related to sufficient or suitable, and other issues such as ownership and
Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) schemes maintenance of this land. The alternative option if the
and is managed by NRW. The purpose of the NHCP is to protect available compensatory land is neither sufficient nor
the coast of Wales while managing the effects of our changing appropriate for use, then monetary compensation can be
shoreline on designated coastal habitats. It aims to provide offered in order to purchase suitable land.
like-for-like habitat compensation through managing existing This is not possible at present as NR’s funding settlement for
land in such a way that new habitats, such as salt marsh, can CP6 (the period up until 2024) from the Department for
be created, which would then deliver habitat offset Transport (DfT) has been set and funding is only included for
requirements detailed in the SMPs. operation, maintenance and renewal of the railway. Any other
As part of this programme NRW have been identifying land funding requirements are subject to separate governance
which appears most suitable for this purpose and contacting processes.
landowners including NR for discussions. It is also worth recognising that the funding issue is somewhat
unique in Wales, due to the process by which NRW treats and
Figure 2: Location of Natura 2000 sites in Wales, from NRW interprets compensation requirements, compared to the
interpretation and treatment by the English bodies such as the
Environment Agency (EA), Natural England and the Marine
Management Organisation.
This applies to projects in the English parts of the Wales and
Borders route, which are also in Natura 2000 sites, such as
areas of the Severn Estuary.
The differences between interpretation in England and Wales
will be explored in more detail in the final publication of this
document.
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March 2020 Network Rail: Understanding the impact of the Shoreline Management Plans on the railway across Wales & Borders
Habitat in Wales:
Ferryside
Ferryside As mentioned above, works at Ferryside were planned for 2017,
A key example of where Network Rail renewal plans are being however due to these issues, the works have still not taken
impacted is at Ferryside. This case study shows where the place and is not currently scheduled until further examinations
interrelated issues of coastal squeeze, requirements driven by of the asset are undertaken in 2021. The risk of pushing back
habitat regulations, other permissions required (such as marine schemes in this way means there is higher likelihood that assets
licences) and coordination of multiple organisations, has been could fail, therefore increasing risks to the operational railway
a challenge. and its users, and becoming more costly to repair. Additionally,
Ferryside is located on the South Wales Mainline between the longer assets are left, the more they deteriorate, which
Llanelli and Carmarthen and is within an area where the SMP could increase the scope of the original works planned.
stipulates to hold the line for all three epochs; 2025, 2055, Due to the experience at Ferryside, Network Rail asset
2105. managers have decided to push these works into Control Period
Within this area there is a sea wall which needs to be repointed 6 (CP6 – 2019-2024), but this has meant that there must be a
and new rock armour is required to protect railway assets. substitution of other works that were already planned in CP6.
These minor renewal works as of March 2020 still have not Asset managers have also made the decision to rescheduled
taken place, even though they were scheduled for 2017, in a coastal works that require HRA’s in CP6 towards the end of the
previous control period. This is due to the location being in a control period, as at present there is no clear solution for
Special Area of Conservation and Protection, and the scheme addressing habitat compensation. However, this adds further
requiring an HRA, as detailed above. In this case the HRA which risk that CP6 works may need to be pushed into Control Period
was completed by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) deemed 7 (CP7 – 2024-2029).
that this project would require habitat compensation of 1.8 For further information
hectares of suitable land such as salt marsh, or a monetary UK Government guidance on HRAs:
equivalent. Monetary values differ depending on location, but https://www.gov.uk/guidance/appropriate-assessment
in this example, the monetary compensation requested for the
works planned at Ferryside is approximately £100,000, which Welsh Assembly research on HRAs:
would effectively mean the cost of the maintenance work https://www.assembly.wales/Research%20Documents/17-
would be approximately twice that contained in our business 038/17-038-Web-English.pdf
plan. Briefing note from NRW on National Habitat Creation
Network Rail has very limited suitable or surplus land which Programme (NHCP):
would meet the requirements of NRW to offer as http://severnestuarycoastalgroup.org.uk/files/2016/03/NRW-
compensation. Additionally, any land transfers or disposal are NHCP-Background-Brief.pdf
subject to regulatory control and ORR approval. There is also
no suitable funding allocation to provide monetary
compensation. This has therefore resulted in the determination
of the Marine Licence, required for the works to progress, being
effectively paused until the compensation question has been
addressed.
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March 2020 Network Rail: Understanding the impact of the Shoreline Management Plans on the railway across Wales & Borders
Shoreline
Management Plans
“A shoreline management plan is a large- Shoreline Management Plans A flow chart summarising how the SMPs are broken down is
scale assessment of the risks associated with Shoreline Management Plans (SMPs) have been produced for shown in Appendix A.
coastal processes and helps to reduce these the coastlines of England, Scotland and Wales; developed by In view of the timescales set in various epochs, it is key to
the relevant Coastal Groups, with members mainly from the recognise that in the longer-term epochs there is likely to be a
risks to people and the developed historic local authorities and the Environment Agency and/or Natural requirement for significant decisions affecting choices around
and natural environment” Resources Wales (NRW) following guidance from the the most appropriate and sustainable choices at those
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). locations.
Shoreline management plan guidance Volume 1, Defra, 2006 All of the SMPs across England and Wales are detailed on the It is important to note that where a SMP policy has
following page in Figure 3. determined a policy which requires intervention, such as
SMP Policy Definition The SMPs identify the most sustainable approach to managing investment in existing or enhanced defences when ‘hold the
No active A decision not to invest in providing or the flood and coastal erosion risks to the coastline and support line’ has been determined, or movement of the defences in a
intervention maintaining coastal defences efforts to prepare for future sea level rises and increased ‘managed realignment’ situation, this does not mean that
(NAI) likelihood of flooding caused by severe weather events over a funding has been secured for this investment.
Hold the line Maintain or upgrade the standard of 100-year period. They are non-statutory policy documents for Future Asset Management
(HTL) protection offered by existing coastal defence management planning and are designed to It is key that Network Rail are involved in coordinating and
defences. take account of other existing planning initiatives and aligning both strategic planning and asset management
Managed Allowing the shoreline to move legislative requirements and are intended to inform wider against future changes in rising sea levels and the impact of
realignment backwards or forwards, to realign the strategic planning. coastal changes on the railway. Especially because Network
(MR) natural coastline configuration. SMPs are not designed to set policy for anything other than Rail is not a Coastal Protection Authority but sometimes act
Advance the line Building new defences on the seaward coastal defence management, but they are being utilised as as the first line of defence, even though the rail infrastructure
(A) side of the original defences. the guidance which local authorities and other stakeholders are was not built for this purpose. However, this leaves Network
using for their future plans for communities, infrastructure and Rail facing some difficult decisions as to the level of
Table 1: SMP Policy definitions. land on the coast. A Coastal Group has been set up for each maintenance that needs to be taken to railway assets where
SMP which is led by the leading local authority for that SMP, additional resilience might be required because the asset is
SMP epoch Periods and includes all key partners, infrastructure and land owners effectively a primary or lesser line of defence.
Epoch 1 Up to 2025 including NRW and Network Rail. Other more strategic challenges will also be faced in the
Epoch 2 2026 – 2055 Initial SMPs (SMP1) were produced in the early 2000’s, then future where the shoreline management policy suggests a
Epoch 3 2056 – 2105 more recently a refresh was carried out (SMP2) which enabled relocation of rail assets and/or other transport modes to serve
the SMPs to take on lessons learnt and more detailed strategic the communities impacted.
thinking and coastline monitoring.
Table 2: SMP epochs. Each SMP is divided into a number of geographical ‘policy
units’ and forecast how these stretches of coastline are likely to
be affected over three epochs – short term (0-20 years),
medium term (20-50 years) and long term (50-100 years). Each
policy unit was then assigned one of four policies to be
implemented during each epoch.
Tables 1 and 2 on the left illustrate both the SMP policy
definitions and epochs in more detail.
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March 2020 Network Rail: Understanding the impact of the Shoreline Management Plans on the railway across Wales & Borders
Shoreline
Management
Plans cont.
For further information
The SMPs relevant to the coastal railway
assets of Wales & Borders, including links to
each are:
• SMP 19 Anchor Head to Lavernock
Point (Severn Estuary). Lead:
Monmouthshire Council.
• SMP 20 Lavernock Point to St
Ann’s Head (South Wales). Lead:
Carmarthenshire Council.
• SMP 21 St Ann’s Head to Great
Ormes Head (West of Wales).
Lead: Pembrokeshire Council.
• SMP 22 Great Ormes Head to
Scotland (North West England
and North Wales). Lead: Blackpool
Borough Council.
Figure 3: Shoreline Management Plan locations and lead local authorities, from the Environment Agency
(Please note this map pre-dates NRW being established)
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March 2020 Network Rail: Understanding the impact of the Shoreline Management Plans on the railway across Wales & Borders
Fairbourne Fairbourne Figure 4 shows the one in 10-year flood level according to
predictions, rising as high as 4.7m above sea level in 2100, with
Figure 4: Future predicted sea level rise, taken History regular high tide predicted to be 3.5m above sea level.
from ‘Fairbourne: A Framework for the future’
Fairbourne is a village located on the coastline of Cardigan Bay It was therefore deemed when the West of Wales Shoreline
in south west Gwynedd. It sits on an area of low-lying salt Management Plan 2 was published in 2014, alongside
marsh to the south of the estuary of the river Mawddach with predictions and evidence from local monitoring, that in the
the Cardigan Bay coastline to the west and Snowdonia future it will not be possible to maintain an acceptable
mountains to the east. standard of protection, nor would it be sustainable or safe for
residents to remain in Fairbourne from 2054. This means that
The village developed following the arrival of the Cambrian flooding caused by climate change would impact the village
Coast railway line in 1855 and a sea wall was built at the time. sooner than other coastal communities across GB.
Today the village is protected from the sea by a natural shingle
bank which was reinforced with a crest wall in 1977 and This has resulted in the local authority coming together with
reinstated in 2019 at a cost of £1.2m following storm damage key public bodies and partners, including Network Rail, to
5 years earlier. The village is protected from the estuary by a produce a framework on addressing the complex issues the
tidal embankment that was last strengthened in 2013. community now faces in the future. This has involved the
production of a Coastal Adaptation Masterplan which provides
The ground levels in Fairbourne are only around 2.5m above a roadmap for the changes needed, highlighting the steps and
sea level and the average existing spring high tide level decisions that will be required in the period to 2054.
experienced several times in a year is 2.61m, meaning the
village is highly dependent on the coastal and river flood
defences. However, predictions that sea levels will rise by
approx. 1m during spring tides and extreme weather events
means it will become harder and costlier to protect the village,
with increased risk to life should the defences fail.
Figure 5: A selection of recent headlines relating to Fairbourne Figure 6: Images of Fairbourne taken during low tide and during Storm Ciara – February 2020
13
March 2020 Network Rail: Understanding the impact of the Shoreline Management Plans on the railway across Wales & Borders
Fairbourne cont.
Epoch Epoch Epoch Comments What does this mean for the railway? This means that due to the nature of railway scheme
1- 2- 3- development, planning for options will need to have ideally
2025 2055 2105 The Cambrian Coast line has a station at Fairbourne which is commenced by the start of Control Period 10 (CP10: 2039-43).
situated on an embankment behind the village. The station has Before this it is important to understand these longer-term
Ro Wen coast HTL MR NAI This would involve just over 40,000 passenger journeys per year and is the seventh intentions in planning asset renewals in the area as renewals
relocation of busiest on the Cambrian Coast Line between Dovey Junction can typically have a lifespan of at least 40 years, reiterating the
property owners and and Pwllheli. There is no question that a large proportion of importance of aligning plans.
Ro Wen Spit MR MR NAI businesses from these passenger journeys are made by tourists staying in or The importance of these considerations has been recognised
near the village and day visitors, and the consideration would by Gwynedd County Council in their SMP planning by having a
Fairbourne. need to be made if the village was relocated whether a station specific action to initiate a Cambrian Coast transport review
would still be required if the community and market it serves is with Network Rail and Welsh Government, recognising that
Fairbourne HTL MR NAI no longer there. Other considerations would need to include long term planning of the coastal line will be key in ensuring a
Embankment whether transport provision would be required in the relocated collaborative aligned approach to planning for the future.
settlement, and also what form of defence the railway would For further information
Friog HTL HTL HTL This refers to the take once the ‘No Active Intervention’ approach is taken for Fairbourne Moving Forward Site:
railway line behind the village. http://fairbourne.info/
Fairbourne. Fairbourne: A Framework for the Future public consultation:
The policy in Table 3 which refers to the railway line is that for http://fairbourne.info/wp-
Morfa HTL HTL HTL This would secure a Friog where the policies across the three epochs remain ‘Hold content/uploads/2019/10/Fairbourne-
Mawddach cut off defence to the Line’, this is reflected in the SMP policy development by AFrameworkfortheFuture.pdf
the back of the area Gwynedd, recognising the important role of the railway but
to the rear of Fegla also the positioning of the railway as a potential future defence
Islands. if the existing sea defences fail once the Managed
Realignment approach and relocation commences in epoch 2
Fegla HTL MR MR Local consideration (2055). It is worth noting this could result in the railway
would be given to becoming potentially a primary or lesser coastal defence, a
defence of purpose it does not currently fulfil in that location.
properties on the
Fegla Islands and to It is also important to note that where any intervention is
Arthog. required to the railway infrastructure in and around Fairbourne,
funding above and beyond planned operations, maintenance
Key: HTL – Hold the line; A – Advance the line; NAI – No and renewals has not been secured and will need to be sought
active intervention; MR – Managed realignment depending on what the recommended outcome will be. This
would include the cost of relocating the station or enhancing
Table 3: SMP2 policy recommendations from Friog Cliffs to defences, if appropriate.
Arthog. Taken from the West of Wales SMP.
14
March 2020 Network Rail: Understanding the impact of the Shoreline Management Plans on the railway across Wales & Borders
Conwy Valley Line The Conwy Valley Line is a relevant example of where the During the reinstatement in 2019, engineers campaigned to
Wales and Borders Route has experienced the effects of make the new infrastructure more resilient. The additional
Figure 7: Washout in 2019 after Storm Gareth extreme whether events and rising sea levels. culverts and embankments were built to modern standards to
Figure 8: Reinstatement works in 2019 after Storm Gareth be resilient throughout their entire design life of approximately
The Conwy Valley Line runs between Llandudno Junction and 30 years, to cope with current and future weather events.
Blaenau Ffestiniog, which is not located on the coast line, yet is Engineers requested funding for further resilience work to other
still feeling the effects of extreme weather and rising sea levels. parts of the line, but funding was not available at the time.
The Conwy Valley Line is prone to flooding and has seen flood However, the Conwy Valley Line was impacted again by Storms
events in 2004, 2005, 2008, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020. Ciara and Dennis in February 2020. While the impact of these
Previous information and predictions indicate that frequency storms was not as significant as Storm Gareth in 2019, they did
and extent of flooding will worsen with the impact of climate nevertheless cause significant damage to parts of the line
change. which were not made more resilient in 2019 following Storm
Gareth. This resulted in the line having to close for remedial
The Conwy Valley Line has a history of washouts, including in works with subsequent impact on passengers and the
the 1980s which led to permanent speed restrictions that were communities the railway serves. Network Rail are working on a
still in place until recently when some speeds were reinstated design, based on the successful works of 2019 which can be
during the 2019 repairs following storm Gareth as detailed implemented on parts of the line which were impacted by
below. However, in more recent times, the Conwy Valley Line Storms Ciara and Dennis; funding is currently being sought for
has experienced more washouts, and in shorter successions. At this activity.
the beginning of 2017, the Conwy Valley Line was washed out
following Storm Doris. Extensive works were required to 15
reinstate and repair the line which meant that the line was
closed to passengers for a couple of months. These works cost
approximately £6m, which reinstated the line to its original
state, with no investment for resilience.
Two years later in 2019, the Conwy Valley Line experienced
extreme weather again following Storm Gareth. This storm
created high tides and a low-pressure system, which led to a
record amount of rainfall. The damage was extensive with six
miles of track, two stations and eight level crossings requiring
significant repair; this meant that the line was closed again, for
four months. These significant reactive works cost
approximately £12m, double the cost of the repairs undertaken
in 2017.
An important aspect of the 2019 repairs to the Conwy Valley
Line was sustainability and the use of local suppliers and
materials. 9,500 tonnes of rock armour and 3,000 tonnes of
ballast were used from nearby quarries. Also, all vegetation and
tree stumps were donated to a local recycling centre to create
biomass, 91% of washout materials were recycled and
approximately 5,000 tonnes of topsoil were reused on these
sites. This is an innovative solution to reduce the railways
contribution to further climate change, which is a large
contributor in the increase of extreme weather events.
March 2020 Network Rail: Understanding the impact of the Shoreline Management Plans on the railway across Wales & Borders
Old Colwyn Sea Wall The Old Colwyn sea wall is a coastal defence, most of which is CCBC contacted NR again towards the end of 2019, following
owned and maintained by Conwy County Borough Council information that the sea wall is deteriorating and becoming
Figure 9: Damage to Old Colwyn promenade (CCBC) and part by Network Rail. CCBC are concerned with the more vulnerable due to increased frequency and severity of
condition of this structure and categorised it as high risk, due coastal storms. CCBC have been carrying out reactive
to the sea wall protecting critical infrastructure for the maintenance on their part of the sea wall but have noted that
sustainability of North Wales. Increasing severity and collaboration is needed to protect the structure. Network Rail
frequency of storm events, combined with the lowering of will continue to look at ways in which we can work with the local
beach levels, has left the wall susceptible to scour, damage and authority to undertake renewal work that will also include
leading to washout of materials and voiding. However, assessment of how we can improve in the structure.
Network Rail is not concerned about the condition of the
structure, which is monitored regularly, and maintenance and
reactive work is carried out as required; like in March 2019.
CCBC applied for funding from Welsh Government to progress
with a scheme for a rock revetment structure to protect the
frontage during storm events; however, grant funding has not
been able to be secured. The scheme was not granted funding
as it did not meet the required criteria of grant funding, the
main driver being the number of properties it protects from
flooding and coastal erosion. Welsh Government indicated that
if other stakeholders, like Network Rail, are willing to contribute,
Welsh Government will fund up to 75% of grant funding
through their Coastal Risk Management Programme.
However, Network Rail only has responsibility for the
maintenance and inspection for part of the frontage. Work was
undertaken by Network Rail in 2014 to the cost of £800,000 to
replenish rock armour along with other works, including works
to the public steps. Subsequent inspection in 2016 found that
the asset was still in a fair condition with little deterioration
from the inspection and works undertaken in 2014. There was
only a slight worsening in isolated areas, which is expected to
be addressed within CP6 with £1.2m of investment, and in
total, £21m being investment on all coastal assets. Inspectors
also indicate that it will take between 17 and 25 years before
the structure deteriorates to a poor condition. However,
because Network Rail is only funded to operate, maintain and
renew its own infrastructure works, which are identified at the
start of each control period, it is difficult for NR to allocate
already committed funds to external third-party schemes. NR
informed CCBC of this in 2018.
16
March 2020 Network Rail: Understanding the impact of the Shoreline Management Plans on the railway across Wales & Borders
AssetCoast
Figure 10: An extract from AssetCoast identifying key assets A key example of where the Wales and Borders Route is
improving their response to extreme weather and impacts on
assets is through the use of the AssetCoast, an award-winning
asset management tool which has been produced by Network
Rail Wales and Borders Route and JBA Consulting to manage
coastal assets. It was created due to the route having the
largest number of coastal assets in Network Rail, covering a
length of 34 miles and following the acknowledgement that NR
needed to improve their knowledge and management of
coastal assets.
AssetCoast assesses the physical condition of the assets,
seeking to provide a long-term plan for coastal assets, helping
monitor their condition, build risk profiles, plan minor and
major intervention works, record works that have been carried
out and update inspection regimes. This allows asset managers
to flag and prioritise assets rather than using the usual cyclical
inspections, which has reduced the number of annual detailed
inspections and improves worker safety. Information can be
viewed by Network Rail and external structural engineers and
contractors including; condition score which aligns with Natural
Resources Wales’ scoring, location, access to structures, current
and historic defects and which shoreline management policy
the asset is under. It also assesses the wider risks posed by
coastal processes by providing an alert and warning system for
assets five days in advance and identifies the assets most at
risk from storm events.
AssetCoast represents a step change within Network Rail to
manage coastal assets, to ensure a truly holistic approach with
asset information that is always up-to-date. It has proven
beneficial to provide a collaborative, proactive management of
Network Rail’s coastal assets, to help reduce the risk of future
devastating damage to our railway. However, this is currently
only used for coastal assets, the aim is to create a platform
which includes all railway assets. Asset Managers are further
understanding how to wider share AssetCoast’s information,
collaborating with other public bodies like Natural Resources
Wales, Local Authorities and the Welsh Coastal Monitoring
Centre to align activities and funding to reduce disruptions to
the public.
17
March 2020 Network Rail: Understanding the impact of the Shoreline Management Plans on the railway across Wales & Borders
Rail industry funding
Network Rail is funded by the Department for Transport (DfT) The RNEP process follows the Government Green Book Five
to operate, maintain and renew the railway in five-year cycles; Case Model, with the cases and questions they seek to answer
control periods. This settlement does not including funding for detailed below:
enhancing infrastructure which is described below. • Strategic: does the scheme have the right strategic fit?
• Economic: does the scheme maximise public value to
For renewal of assets, funding provision enables Network Rail
to renew assets on a like for like basis to modern equivalent society?
standards. Assets are identified and prioritised prior to the • Commercial: is the scheme commercially viable?
control period and put into a five-year work bank, alongside • Financial: is the scheme affordable?
any reactive works. However, asset management teams, • Management: can the scheme be successfully delivered?
especially the geotechnical team, have aspirations to build a Alternatively, funding can also be secured through other
work bank which considers resilience of assets, focusing of avenues, such as third parties (local and regional authorities),
vulnerable areas such as the Severn Estuary and the Cambrian Welsh Government and passenger and freight train operating
Coast Line. companies.
However, the challenge at locations such as the Conwy Valley
Enhancement of the network to deliver improvements such as Line will be to make the case to enhance the network to provide
increased network capacity, improved journey times and greater resilience that will reduce future renewal and
improved resilience would generally require additional specific reinstatement costs following further extreme weather events
funding over and above that included in the five-year spending in the longer term.
settlement for OMR (Ops, Maintenance and Renewal), as Additional information:
explained above. Therefore, this means that enhancement RNEP Guidance –
funding requires the case for investment to be made, following https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rail-network-
governments appraisal criteria such as WelTAG (Welsh enhancements-pipeline
Government) and WebTAG (UK Government) to fund any The Green Book –
incremental enhancements. The main mechanism for https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/s
enhancement funding is through the DfT’s Rail Network ystem/uploads/attachment_data/file/685903/The_Green_Bo
Enhancement Pipeline (RNEP) process. There are five stages ok.pdf
within the RNEP process to achieve enhancement funding;
demonstrated in Figure 11 below with decisions to proceed
following each step to be undertaken before a scheme is
accepted and delivered.
Figure 11: The Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline Process
18
March 2020 Network Rail: Understanding the impact of the Shoreline Management Plans on the railway across Wales & Borders
Pilot research and study Shoreline Planning in Cardigan Bay The Cambrian Railway line
area: In commencing this study, initial discussions were held
between Network Rail (NR) and Gwynedd County Council The railway provides a key transport link in the Cardigan Bay
Cardigan Bay and the regarding their progress in responding to the Shoreline alongside the highway and bus network.
Cambrian Coast Line Management Plans (SMPs) in their area. The local authority is
keen to progress plans in collaboration with key organisations The Cambrian Line runs from Shrewsbury to Dovey Junction,
Figure 12: The Cambrian Coast railway such as NR and were happy to support in the production of this via Machynlleth then splits with the south branch running via
interim report. Borth to Aberystwyth; and the north branch – the Cambrian
Gwynedd County Council have already progressed planning in Coast Line, follows the Cardigan Bay coast via Barmouth and
their area, not least due to the potential impact the changing Porthmadog to Pwllheli. It is primarily a single line railway with
shoreline and SMP policies are likely to have on their coastal passing loops.
communities across the three epochs.
The SMP which relates to Gwynedd County Council is a Services on the Cambrian operate on a two-hourly frequency
particular section of the West of Wales Shoreline Management continuing beyond Shrewsbury to Birmingham International,
Plan: Coastal Area D. This is illustrated in Figure 13 on the with hourly services between Aberystwyth and Shrewsbury at
following page. certain times of the day. Transport for Wales have plans to
Each SMP is broken down into a number of ‘Coastal Areas’ and operate a consistent hourly service between Aberystwyth and
is then broken down further for ease of planning. This process Shrewsbury throughout the day from the end of 2022 and
is explained in Appendix A. there are also plans to run additional weekend services on the
Coastal Area D of the West of Wales SMP covers the coastline Cambrian Coast Line in the summer to serve the vital tourism
of Cardigan Bay, stretching from Sarn Gynfelyn, north of and leisure market in the region.
Aberystwyth, to Trwyn Cilan, south of Abersoch. The area
covers the major estuaries of the Dyfi, Dysynni and the Railway investment planned in the area includes:
Mawddach, as well as the southern shoreline of the Llyn
Peninsula. There are settlements across the area, including key • a new station north of Aberystwyth at Bow Street, opening
developments such as Machynlleth and Dolgellau at the head in 2020, funded jointly by the Department for Transport
of the Dovey, and others situated at the mouths of the (DfT) and Welsh Government (WG);
estuaries including Aberdyfi, Tywyn, Barmouth, Porthmadog
and Harlech. • Machynlleth station to benefit from investment in
The area has an economy based on tourism with many visitors upgraded facilities and tourism link after being identified
attracted to both the beaches and mountains, particularly with in Transport for Wales’ station flagship programme;
the adjacent Snowdonia National Park. Also nearby are the
universities of both Aberystwyth and Bangor resulting in a • a new fleet of trains from the end of 2022 which will be
number of students either visiting or living in the Cardigan Bay serviced and maintained at the depot at Machynlleth; and
area.
• the upgrade of the Grade II listed Victorian timber viaduct
at Barmouth over the River Mawddach is taking place in
Control Period 6 (CP6).
19
March 2020 Network Rail: Understanding the impact of the Shoreline Management Plans on the railway across Wales & Borders
Cardigan Bay and the Passenger needs Asset Management
Cambrian Coast Line Due to its coastal nature, the infrastructure on the Cambrian
The Cambrian Coast Line from Dovey Junction to Pwllheli, Coast Line has often been exposed to damage from the sea
Cont. shown in Figure 12, is a scenic rural route with a strong leisure and storms. The NR Asset Management team have identified
and tourism passenger market which sees a peak in demand three sites which cause particular challenges and are
over the summer months. The line comprises 26 stations identified as priority areas in the Control Period 6 (CP6)
which see almost 1 million passenger journeys per year. workbank, scheduled for 2022-23. The anticipated cost for
Nearly half of these journeys are served by the three busiest these three schemes is just under £5 million:
stations: Barmouth, Harlech and Tywyn, according to the • Tywyn: This scheme is to extend the rock armour
most recent station usage data.
beyond its current boundary onto land owned by
The line also enables passenger access to the heritage narrow Natural Resources Wales (NRW) to provide more
gauge railways such as the Ffestiniog Railway, Welsh protection to a section of the railway that is currently
Highland Railway and Talyllyn. undefended and regularly receives damage during
storms.
Currently no freight operates on the route. • Afon Wen: This scheme is to repair the existing sea wall
due to the cliff eroding. Prior to this emergency funding
In terms of passenger satisfaction, the table below shows a was sought to repair a hole which opened up in the sea
snapshot of results from the 2019 National Rail Passenger wall during Storm Dennis in February 2020.
Survey, for areas identified as key drivers of passenger • Llanaber: This scheme is to refurbish the concrete wall
satisfaction. As you can see passengers surveyed on the TfW and replenish the rock armour.
routes which include the Cambrian, scores were generally All three of these scheme locations are in a Special Area of
slightly higher than the overall TfW scores but similar overall Conservation, therefore the works will all be subject to a
to the national scores. Habitat Regulation Assessment which may require
compensation. This could result in a delay to the project if a
National TfW TfW Mid marine licence cannot be granted and funding for
overall overall Wales & compensation or compensatory land cannot be sourced.
Borders* In addition to these schemes there is also a number of smaller
maintenance jobs which are set out annually over the five-
Overall satisfaction with 82% 79% 81% year control period. These equate to over £5 million and may
journey also be subject to Habitat Regulation Assessments depending
on the nature of the schemes and their location.
Punctuality/reliability 74% 76% 82%
(i.e. the train 20
arriving/departing on
time)
Level of crowding 71% 70% 69%
Level of satisfaction with 80% 71% 86%
the station
* Includes journeys on the Pwllheli/Aberystwyth – Birmingham
International, Shrewsbury – Crewe, and Holyhead – Birmingham
International lines.
March 2020 Network Rail: Understanding the impact of the Shoreline Management Plans on the railway across Wales & Borders
Cardigan Bay and the Aligning to the Shoreline Management Plan Some overall considerations which were identified in the SMP
Cambrian Coast Line action planning which need to include NR are:
Cont. Gwynedd County Council is the lead local authority working • Collaborative adaptation planning needs to take place
on the action plan for this section of the coastline, working
Figure 13: Coastal Area D from the West of Wales with key partners including other local authorities and cross-organisation for the area.
SMP infrastructure owners and service providers including Welsh • Review of transport planning needs to take place for the
Water, Natural Resources Wales and NR amongst others.
area
As explained above the West of Wales SMP is broken down • Cambrian Coast transport review required over long-
into a number of larger Coastal Areas. It is then broken down
further into ‘Policy Development Zones’ then ‘Management term planning of the railway.
Zones’ then ‘Policy Units’. All of these are geographical In light of these actions, Gwynedd County Council have
sections which are divided as such for ease of planning. A flow recognised that Network Rail were not part of the original
chart explaining this process is shown in Appendix A. action planning which took place as part of the SMP
production and discussions have taken place to commence a
Each ‘Management Area’ then has an action plan associated more collaborative way forward in planning both adaptation
with it. Gwynedd County Council have assisted with this and coastal schemes. This will no doubt progress as
interim study by interpreting the action plan into those production of the final document commences.
actions which have relevance to NR. Appendix B details all of
these actions relevant to NR alongside the policy For further information
recommendation for each Policy Unit and epoch. The National Rail Passenger Survey Autumn 2019:
https://d3cez36w5wymxj.cloudfront.net/wp-
As shown in the detailed tables in Appendix B, there are content/uploads/2020/01/27181442/Main-Report-Autumn-
several areas along the coast which are likely to see a policy 2019-240120.pdf
change to Managed Retreat or No Active Intervention in
Epoch 2 (2055). Further planning needs to take place
alongside Gwynedd County Council and other stakeholders to
understand which of these will have a significant impact on
the railway. This is vital as railway enhancement projects
typically commence detailed planning 10-15 years in
advance, with the potential for strategic network planning to
take place even earlier. This would mean areas likely to require
changes in Epoch 2 would require strategic planning to
commence in Control Period 8 (2029-34) or 9 (2035-39) to
enable sufficient time for a scheme to be developed.
21
https://www.raildeliverygroup.com/component/arkhive/?task=file.download&id=469776117
March 2020 Network Rail: Understanding the impact of the Shoreline Management Plans on the railway across Wales & Borders
Summary and Summary Roadmap to the final publication
roadmap to final The key priority for this interim document was to undertake
publication research and information gathering on all of the complex Following the production of this interim document, Network
issues which surround shoreline planning for the coastal Rail will use the information gathered to facilitate broader
railway in Wales and Borders, and how this interacts with awareness and discussions with rail industry, funders and
regional and local shoreline planning. specifiers as well as other key stakeholders and influencers in
It has also enabled Network Rail to better understand the shoreline and habitat planning policy.
implications and challenges of adapting to climate change and
future changes in coastal processes such as sea level rise, and Going forward in consultation with such bodies, the intention is
how we build this into future strategic planning of the rail to produce a more comprehensive guidance document in
network. collaboration with all coastal groups and key stakeholders
This interim document summarises the following: covering all the coastal railway in Wales and Borders with an
intended publication date of Spring 2021. The document will
• Climate change is already having a significant impact on be published bilingually.
today’s railway through evermore frequent extreme
weather events The final document will also seek to consider the further impact
of habitat compensation requirements on Network Rail
• Challenges exist today in balancing railway maintenance maintenance and renewals, with a better understanding of the
and renewal works in areas protected for diverse habitats legal perspective of the regulations and differences in
interpretation and governance between England and Wales,
• Network Rail is already actively engaging with local and any related short-term funding gaps which exist.
authorities, coastal groups and Natural Resources Wales
(NRW) in shoreline management planning activity. This Additionally, the final document will look to provide a detailed
continued engagement will be fundamental to delivering assessment of the impact of the SMPs on all coastal railway
the policies set out in the Shoreline Management Plans assets. The purpose of this will be to map the SMP policy
(SMPs) given that coastal railway assets are often a against Network Rail’s asset management plans and also to
primary or lesser line of defence provide an early indicative view as to when future rail policy
planning and strategic decisions will be required for parts of the
• Areas have already been identified where further network impacted by climate change and rising sea levels.
detailed strategic network planning will need to take
place in the future to build into local authority plans, Appendix B sets out the actions, comments and
including at areas such as Fairbourne on the Cambrian recommendations relating to the Cardigan Bay area, which
Coast have come from the West of Wales SMP, and in certain cases
these provide some recommendations for how the railway
might be affected in the future. The work to be undertaken for
the final document will build on this early evidence base.
Acknowledgements
Network Rail thank the organisations that have been involved
in the Study including but not limited to:
• Gwynedd County Council
• Natural Resources Wales
• Welsh Government 22
• Welsh Local Government Agency
March 2020 Network Rail: Understanding the impact of the Shoreline Management Plans on the railway across Wales & Borders
Appendix A: Flowchart explaining how the Shoreline Management Plans were developed
Shoreline Management Plans (22 geographical across GB)
i.e. SMP 21: St Ann’s Head to Great Ormes Head (West of Wales)
Coastal Area
Geographical section divided as such for convenience of discussion and policy development.
i.e. Coastal Area D: Sarn Gynfelyn to Trwyn Cilan
Policy Development Zone (PDZ)
A length of coastline defined for the purpose of assessing all issues and interactions to examine and develop
management scenarios.
i.e. PDZ10: Sarn Gynfelyn to Tonfanau
Management Area (MA)
A geographical collection of Policy Units (PU) that are interdependent and should therefore be managed
collectively.
i.e. MA19 Dyfi South: Upper Borth to Machynlleth
Policy Unit (PU)
Geographical section of coastline for which a certain coastal defence management policy has been defined.
i.e. PU 10.1: Upper Borth
Policy per epoch
i.e. 2025: MR / 2055: MR / 2105: MR
23
March 2020 Network Rail: Understanding the impact of the Shoreline Management Plans on the railway across Wales & Borders
Appendix B: Detailed Shoreline Management Plan (SMP) Policies for the Cardigan Bay Area
(Coastal Area D of the West of Wales SMP)
Below details each Policy Development Zone under Coastal Area D, what the SMP policies are under each Epoch for each Management Area beneath it, and key actions, comments and
recommendations relating to Network Rail taken from the SMP Action Plan.
Policy Development Zone 10 – Dyfi
24
March 2020 Network Rail: Understanding the impact of the Shoreline Management Plans on the railway across Wales & Borders
Management Area 19 – Dyfi South – Upper Borth to Machynlleth
Policy Location Policy Unit Epoch 1 - Epoch 2 - Epoch 3 - Local Authority Key actions, comments and recommendations taken from the SMP2 in this area which
need to be considered by Network Rail:
Upper Borth 10.1 MR MR MR Ceredigion
Borth Village 10.2 HTL HTL MR Ceredigion • Recommended that adaptation planning takes place for the entire area with all
Borth Golf Course 10.3 HTL MR MR Ceredigion partners.
10.4 MR NAI NAI Ceredigion • Management of the area would depend significantly on the continued need to sustain
Ynyslas 10.5 HTL HTL MR Ceredigion the railway line, albeit not necessarily in the same location.
Afon Leri 10.6 HTL HTL MR Ceredigion • Due to continued sea level rise, there will be key moments when substantial
Cors Fochno 10.7 HTL HTL MR Ceredigion investment decisions would need to be made, at such times the opportunity should be taken to
Dyfi Junction 10.8 HTL HTL HTL Ceredigion consider relocating the railway line to a more sustainable position.
Morben Hall 10.9 HTL MR MR Ceredigion • Review of transport planning in the area should take place, considering sustainable
Machynlleth transport for the whole region.
• Recommendation that in Epoch 3 the railway line would need to be relocated along
the main inner estuary frontage alongside consideration of the impact on the local highway
network.
• Recommendation that the railway is sustained within the upper estuary, across Dyfi
Junction and Machynlleth.
Management Area 20 – Dyfi North, Tywyn and the Dysynni
Policy Location Policy Unit Epoch 1 - Epoch 2 - Epoch 3 - Local Authority Key actions, comments and recommendations taken from the SMP2 in this area which
need to be considered by Network Rail:
Pennal Valley 10.10 MR MR MR Gwynedd
Gogarth 10.11 HTL HTL HTL Gwynedd • It is recognised the important transport network in the area would need to be
Dyfi North 10.12 HTL HTL HTL Gwynedd sustained however there is concern that continued defence to the railway across the Dysynni is
Aberdyfi 10.13 HTL HTL HTL Gwynedd going to become difficult to sustain and may present issues in providing a coherent approach
10.14 MR MR MR Gwynedd to that taken at Tywyn in the south. The plan recommends that the approach to sustain the
Aberdyfi Dunes 10.15 MR MR MR Gwynedd railway is reconsidered with the beneficial development opportunity of a more naturally
Penllyn 10.16 HTL HTL HTL Gwynedd functioning estuary mouth and reduced impacts on habitat loss.
Tywyn 10.17 HTL HTL HTL Gwynedd
10.18 HTL MR MR Gwynedd
Dysynni Railway 10.19 MR MR NAI Gwynedd
Dysynni Estuary
Tonfanau
25
March 2020 Network Rail: Understanding the impact of the Shoreline Management Plans on the railway across Wales & Borders
Policy Development Zone 11 - Barmouth and the Mawddach
26
March 2020 Network Rail: Understanding the impact of the Shoreline Management Plans on the railway across Wales & Borders
Management Area 21 – Southern Cliffs
Policy Location Policy Unit Epoch 1 Epoch 2 Epoch 3 Local Authority Key actions, comments and recommendations taken from the SMP2 in this area which
need to be considered by Network Rail:
Rola 11.1 HTL HTL HTL Gwynedd
Llwyngwril 11.2 MR MR MR Gwynedd • Agree form of defence to minimise impact on designated sections of the coast.
Friog Cliffs 11.3 HTL HTL HTL Gwynedd • Although the general aim of the plan in this area is to allow continued natural
development and erosion of the shoreline, it is recognised that there is a need to maintain
the function of the railway and road and therefore suggests a policy of Hold the Line where
these assets are at risk.
Management Area 22 – Mawddach Entrance – South
Policy Location Policy Unit Epoch 1 Epoch 2 Epoch 3 Local Authority Key actions, comments and recommendations taken from the SMP2 in this area which
o Wen Coast 11.4 HTL MR NAI Gwynedd need to be considered by Network Rail:
Ro Wen Split 11.5 MR MR NAI Gwynedd
Fairbourne Embankment 11.6 HTL MR NAI Gwynedd • Relocation and adaption planning
11.7 HTL HTL HTL Gwynedd • Cambrian Coast transport review required – action to initiate discussion between
Friog 11.8 HTL HTL HTL Gwynedd Network Rail and Welsh Government over long term planning of coastal railway
Morfa Mawddach • Although there are issues of long term sustainability for Fairbourne, it would be
11.9 HTL MR MR Gwynedd considered possible to maintain the railway.
Fegla • The policy for the railway and the land behind would be to Hold the Line and there is
an opportunity to provide defence to areas behind the railway on currently undeveloped
land.
• This policy would be extended to include where the railway links through to the bridge
and the old railway would probably need to be improved as a flood defence.
Management Area 24 & 25 – Barmouth & DYFFRYN ARDUDWY
Policy Location Policy Unit Epoch 1 Epoch 2 Epoch 3 Local Authority Key actions, comments and recommendations taken from the SMP2 in this area which
Barmouth South 11.14 HTL HTL HTL Gwynedd need to be considered by Network Rail:
Barmouth North 11.15 HTL MR MR Gwynedd
HTL • Cambrian Coast transport review required – action to initiate discussion between
Llanaber 11.16 HTL HTL Gwynedd Network Rail and Welsh Government over long-term planning of coastal railway
Epoch 2 • Intent is to maintain the core areas of Barmouth and the railway line past Llanaber.
Policy Location Policy Unit Epoch 1 Epoch 3 Local Authority
• Llanaber Point is considered strategically important in maintaining a sustainable
defence along both the Barmouth frontages and to the north. As such a broader
management of the shoreline is in line with the specific management of risk to the railway.
Egryn Marsh 11.17 MR NAI NAI Gwynedd
Sunny Sands 11.18 MR MR MR Gwynedd
Islawffordd 11.19 MR MR MR Gwynedd
Morfa Dyffryn 11.20 NAI NAI NAI Gwynedd
27
March 2020 Network Rail: Understanding the impact of the Shoreline Management Plans on the railway across Wales & Borders
Policy Development Zone 12 – Coastal Snowdonia
28
March 2020 Network Rail: Understanding the impact of the Shoreline Management Plans on the railway across Wales & Borders
Management Area 26 ARTRO ESTUARY
Policy Location Policy Unit Epoch 1 Epoch 2 Epoch 3 Local Authority Key actions, comments and recommendations taken from the SMP2 in this area which
need to be considered by Network Rail:
Mochras 12.1 NAI NAI NAI Gwynedd
MR Gwynedd • Cambrian Coast transport review required – action to initiate discussion between
Artro Southern Split 12.2 HTL MR MR Gwynedd Network Rail and Welsh Government over long-term planning of coastal railway
HTL Gwynedd • It is recognised that maintaining the strategic rail and road routes through the area
Artro Estuary South 12.3 HTL MR MR Gwynedd are considered essential and there is little opportunity to move these routes, however,
HTL Gwynedd equally, defence of these routes is going to become significantly more difficult.
Artro Estuary East 12.4 HTL HTL • Key elements of the plan would be to continue to defend the main road and railway
Epoch 3 Local Authority line.
Llandanwg Dunes 12.5 MR MR NAI Gwynedd • The preferred plan is for re-examining the whole behaviour of the estuary and
HTL Gwynedd developing a sustainable development plan involving the highway authority, the railway and
Llandanwg Headland 12.6 HTL HTL MR Gwynedd the National Park planners.
NAI Gwynedd
Management Area 27: HARLECH AND THE DWYRYD ESTUARY NAI Gwynedd Key actions, comments and recommendations taken from the SMP2 in this area which
NAI Gwynedd need to be considered by Network Rail:
Policy Location Policy Epoch 1 Epoch 2
Unit • Cambrian Coast transport review required – action to initiate discussion between
Morfa Harlech NAI NAI Network Rail and Welsh Government over long-term planning of coastal railway
Harlech Valley 12.7 HTL HTL • Hold the Line is seen as being sustainable over the first epoch, the railway being one
of the key justifications for this. By epoch 3 it seems unlikely that defence of the whole area
12.8 would be sustainable with sea level rise.
• The policy for epochs two and three is Managed Realignment, the aim of which would
Talsarnau 12.9 HTL MR be to establish a set back line of defence either at the railway line or along the ridge just
north of Talsarnau.
Briwet and Dwyryd Gorge 12.10 NAI NAI
Upper Dwyryd Estuary 12.11 MR NAI
Penrhyndeudraeth Headland 12.12 NAI NAI
29
March 2020 Network Rail: Understanding the impact of the Shoreline Management Plans on the railway across Wales & Borders
Management Area 28 & 29: The Cob and Porthmadog and CRICCIETH EAST AND EASTERN SHINGLE BANKS
Policy Location Policy Unit Epoch 1 Epoch 2 Epoch 3 Local Authority Key actions, comments and recommendations taken from the SMP2 in this area which
need to be considered by Network Rail:
The Cob and Porthmadog 12.13 HTL HTL HTL Gwynedd
Borth-y-Gest 12.14 HTL HTL HTL Gwynedd • Cambrian Coast transport review required – action to initiate discussion between
Samson Bay 12.15 NAI NAI NAI Gwynedd Network Rail and Welsh Government over long-term planning of coastal railway
Morfa Bychan 12.16 MR MR MR Gwynedd • Recommendation that realignment of the railway is considered, however it may be
possible to increase the overall control of the frontage in such a manner that the shingle
bank would still continue to provide adequate defence. This would depend on the level of
the railway line.
Policy Location Policy Epoch 1 Epoch 2 Epoch 3 Local Authority
Unit
Criccieth Shingle HTL MR MR Gwynedd
Criccieth Harbour 12.17 HTL HTL MR Gwynedd
Castle Headland NAI NAI NAI Gwynedd
12.18
12.19
Management Area 30: CRICCIETH WEST
Policy Location Policy Epoch 1 Epoch 2 Epoch 3 Local Authority Key actions, comments and recommendations taken from the SMP2 in this area which
Unit need to be considered by Network Rail:
Criccieth West 12.20 HTL HTL HTL Gwynedd
Y Dryll 12.21 NAI NAI NAI Gwynedd • Cambrian Coast transport review required – action to initiate discussion between
Dwyfor 12.22 MR NAI NAI Gwynedd Network Rail and Welsh Government over long-term planning of coastal railway.
12.23 NAI NAI NAI Gwynedd • The longer-term intent to allow the frontage to develop more naturally in the future
Glanllynnau Cliffs 12.24 HTL MR MR Gwynedd may put the railway line at risk from increased flooding, with the potential that major works
Afon Wen 12.25 NAI NAI NAI Gwynedd might be required in epoch three to sustain this route. This clearly has implications with
respect to defence of the railway at Afon Wen. The potential for relocating the railway is
Pen y chain East recognised to be outside the scope of the SMP.
30
March 2020 Network Rail: Understanding the impact of the Shoreline Management Plans on the railway across Wales & Borders
Policy Development Zone 13 – The South Llŷn Bays – Pen y Chain to Trwyn Cilan
Management Area 31: PWLLHELI AREA
Policy Location Policy Epoch 1 Epoch 2 Epoch 3 Local Authority
Unit
Pen y chain and Western NAI NAI NAI Gwynedd
section of Bay 13.1
Abererch HTL MR MR Gwynedd
Glan y Don 13.2 HTL HTL HTL Gwynedd
13.3
HTL HTL HTL Gwynedd
Pwlheli Harbour and Entrance 13.4
HTL HTL HTL Gwynedd
Pwlheli Centre 13.5 HTL HTL HTL Gwynedd
South Beach 13.6 HTL MR MR Gwynedd
Golf Course 13.7 HTL MR MR Gwynedd
Traeth Crugan 13.8 NAI NAI NAI Gwynedd
Llanbedrog 13.9
Key actions, comments and recommendations taken from the SMP2 in this area which need to be considered
by Network Rail:
• Cambrian Coast transport review required – action to initiate discussion between Network Rail and Welsh
Government over long-term planning of coastal railway
• The railway line poses the most immediate risk with the potential of flooding and erosion. Based on the
objectives there is a continuing need to maintain this important national transport route. However, to do so would
impose a severe constraint on the sustainable management of the shoreline.
• Potentially, if re-routing the railway line to the back of the flood plain was unacceptable, then
consideration would need to be given to establishing the line on some form of trestle bridge over the new estuary.
31
March 2020 Network Rail: Understanding the impact of the Shoreline Management Plans on the railway across Wales & Borders
Appendix C: SMP policy maps for Wales for each epoch from Natural Resources Wales
Key: Hold the Line Managed Retreat No Active Intervention
32
March 2020 Network Rail: Understanding the impact of the Shoreline Management Plans on the railway across Wales & Borders
Appendix D: Glossary
Term Meaning
ATL
Advance the line: Policy decision to build new defences on the seaward side of the original defences.
CMSP Summary
Draft document – key priority – information gathering
Connectivity
Control Period 5 (CP5) CMSP is Network Rail’s response to the Shaw Review (2016) Continuous Modular Strategic Planning, part of the Long-Term Planning Process. Recommendation noting the requirement
Control Period 6 (CP6) to better plan the railway based on customSeur,mpamssaernisgeerkaenydpforeinigthst(ntaeebdles.or bullets?) Para for each
Control Period 7 (CP7)
Defra - Climate change./sea level
Opportunity to travel between two locations and- assoScMiatPesd–joiumrnpeaycttimone.railway
- Habitat
Network Rail is funded in five-year periods. Control Period 5 is the funding period from April 2014 to March 2019.
- Impact on railway asset management plans &
alignment where railway assets act as coastal
Network Rail is funded in five-year periods. Control Pedrieofde6ncisetshe funding period from April 2019 to March 2024.
Network Rail is funded in five-year periods. Cont-rol PerFraiuoitdlwu7raeiys tnshetertawfutonerdgkiincg pceorniosdidferormatiAopnrsil 20fo2r4 tothMearcchoa20st2a9l.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
DfT Department for Transport
EA
Epoch Environment Agency Roadmap to the final
ERTMS The periods of time which are Repeat purpose of document
ETCS Epoch 1: 0-20 years revieweOdvinerStMhePsn.ext
FCERM year we will seek to…
GRIP
HTL Epoch 2: 20-50 years Help inform future required strategic planning and funding
Epoch 3: 50-100 years decisions.
CEuormopmeuannicRaatiiloTnrsa–ffRicaMilwaanya:gaenminentetrSnyasttioemnWfa.ulAnhwdsiicryeehsrltesewsmasinlclfodonmrwommiwdauennbraicegsatintauigoksneetrshdasoitntladomnedworasviredsdmuefcnoehrndrtaasissiulcwlsouiancsygasiclEooaTnmuCstmShw(uoEinrtuiihcrtoaiepitnsieo,danaunbasTontrrduaytia,npCpolincatrtoiol nSsy)stteomco)mtomsuignnicaal tterawinisthatnrdaiGnSs.MR (Global System for Mobile
European Train Control System. A new signhSaMollwinPgst.choentrraoillwanadytrnaeinedpsrotteoctpiolannsyfsotermth. e future and align with
Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management 33
This will need to consider some immediate and shorter term
Governance for Railway Investment Projecftus.nAdNinegtwgoarpk sRail standard for project managing changes to the infrastructure.
Hold the line: Policy decision to maintain oIrmchpaancgteothfeNeRxirsetinnegwdaeflsen–cehsa. bitat compensation –
- Better understand legal perspective and differences
in interpretation between NRW and EA – obligations
- Hold further discussions with NRW/LAs / Funders
Need to extend to other SMP areas and obtain their buy in– key
contacts via Coastal Group forum
March 2020 Network Rail: Understanding the impact of the Shoreline Management Plans on the railway across Wales & Borders
Appendix D: Glossary
Term Meaning
MR Managed realignment: Policy decision to allow the shoreline to move backwards or forwards, with management to control or limit movement.
NAI No active intervention: Policy decision to stop investment in coastal defence or operation.
NHCP National Habitat Creation Programme
NR Network Rail
NRW Natural Resources Wales
OMR Operations, maintenance and renewals.
ORR Office of Rail and Road. The safety and economic regulator for the rail industry in Great Britain.
RDG Rail Delivery Group
RNEP Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline
SBP Strategic Business Plan
SMP Shoreline Management Plan
SO System Operator
WG Welsh Government
WelTAG Welsh Government, Transport Appraisal Guidance
WebTAG UK Government, Transport Appraisal Guidance
34
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