Second round of Public Consultation on major climate resilience programme for Eastern coast rail line to begin

15 Meán Fómhair 2025

East Coast Railway Infrastructure Protection Projects will future proof the eastern seaboard rail corridor

Iarnród Éireann’s major climate resilience programme to protect major sections of the Dublin to Rosslare rail line from the effects of climate change enters its second round of non-statutory public consultation from today.

Non-Statutory Public Consultation on the preferred option for the East Coast Railway Infrastructure Protection Projects (ECRIPP) will run until 13th October.

The projects have been developed to provide improved coastal protection against current and predicted climate change effects of sea level rise and coastal erosion on the east coast railway corridor between Merrion Gates in Co Dublin and Wicklow Harbour.

Feedback from last year’s public consultation has contributed to the ongoing design development and Iarnród Éireann now wants to hear from those living along the route and who have an interest in the area about the proposed plans as this local knowledge will contribute to the ongoing design of the projects.

The Dublin to Wicklow section of the east coast railway is a critical part of the Iarnród Éireann rail network, with southside DART, Gorey commuter and Rosslare Europort Intercity services operating along this scenic route. ECRIPP will deliver the necessary enhanced coastal protection to the existing railway infrastructure in several key locations on this section of the rail network.

Iarnród Éireann has first-hand experience of the impacts of climate change on railway infrastructure on the east coast. Some areas of the east coast rail line have seen encroachment through the loss of coast of up to 20-30 metres in the last 10 years alone. This has resulted in large losses of land, and incursions to such levels that the railway line between Dublin and Wicklow is vulnerable to further loss due to coastal erosion. This rate of loss will increase in line with climate change, as storm frequency and intensity increase due to climate change.

In recent years Iarnród Éireann has seen an increase in the frequency of storm events because of climate change. This necessitates more and more maintenance works to be carried out to respond to the effects of coastal erosion, wave overtopping and coastal flooding on the east coast rail line and supporting infrastructure. The effects of the storm events, and the resulting works, have the potential to see increasing disruption to existing services.

There are key sections, termed Coastal Cell Areas (CCA), of the coastal railway south of Dublin to Wicklow that are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of coastal erosion, coastal flooding, wave overtopping and cliff instability - all of which are expected to increase both in frequency and severity in future years. These five projects make up ECRIPP, and are:

• Merrion Gates to Seapoint Beach
• Whiterock Beach to South Killiney
• Bray Head to Greystones North Beach
• Kilcoole to Newcastle
• Newcastle to Wicklow Murrough

Each project is standalone and looks to address coastal hazards in that location on the east coast railway corridor. Under the public consultation, Iarnród Éireann is detailing the preferred scheme for each CCA to give interested parties the opportunity to comment.

Each project will be taken forward as a separate planning application submission and the schedule for delivery may vary between the projects. ECRIPP is funded by the Department of Transport, through the National Transport Authority under Project Ireland 2040 and is provided for in the Programme for Government and the National Development Plan. ECRIPP is also in receipt of funding from the EU’s Connecting Europe Facility fund.

Eoin Gillard, Assistant Director – Transport Investment from the National Transport Authority said:

“The East Coast Railway Infrastructure Protection Projects represent vital investments in safeguarding Ireland’s transport network against the growing impacts of climate change. This ambitious programme is key to protecting our rail infrastructure and ensure the resilience of services for communities along the eastern corridor. We encourage everyone to engage with the public consultation."

Speaking at the commencement of the public consultation, Chief Executive of Iarnród Éireann, Jim Meade said:

“The threat of climate change is real for all of us, but for us in the railway it presents unique challenges, particularly on the eastern coastal route. ECRIPP will provide infrastructure protection works that will futureproof this section of the railway for generations to come, but to provide the best possible solution we want to hear from our neighbours and those that enjoy the coastal amenities along this route and I would urge as many people as possible to give us their feedback”.

For more information on the project, please visit www.irishrail.ie/ECRIPP