Iarnród Éireann Unleash Coastal Protection Plan

Stand by me…

ecognising an increase in the frequency of storm events due to climate change, Iarnród Éireann have now released details of their East Coast Railway Infrastructure Protection Projects.

Greystones North Beach

Which may be more than a little crucial given that the east coast rail line has seen, they point out, the loss of 20 to 30 metres of land in the last 10 years alone.

And no, it’s not the Greystones marina’s fault.

Addressing issues at five key locations – Merrion Gates to Seapoint Beach; White Rock Beach to South Killiney; Bray Head to Greystones North Beach; Kilcoole to Newcastle: Newcastle to Wicklow Murrough – each section is being treated as a standalone project along the 65km route through design, planning and construction.

Over to Irish Rail…

Bray Head To Greystones North Beach

The Bray Head and Greystones North Beach project is divided into two sections. The first section, Bray Head, spans approximately 4 km of hard rock coastline from Naylor’s Cove to the southern exit of Tunnel 3. It includes intermittent coastal defences and three tunnels.

The second section, Greystones North Beach, covers approximately 3 km of predominantly soft cliff coastline from Tunnel 3 to Greystones Harbour Marina and includes one tunnel. This section has experienced cliff instability and erosion, resulting in parts of the railway being rerouted inland through tunnels

The primary hazards in both sections include cliff instability above and below the railway, undermining of coastal defences, and beach erosion. These issues increase the coastline’s vulnerability to further hazards.

Project Objectives
The objectives of this project are:

⦿ To protect existing masonry structures that span bedrock gullies or support embankments at Bray Head. Although these structures are currently sound, they are not sufficient to protect the railway from the combined effects of rising sea levels and extreme weather events.

⦿ At Greystones North Beach, the goal is to control the rapid erosion of soft cliffs, which could threaten sections of the railway within the next 50 years. whilst also allowing the remaining cliffed coastline to erode naturally, eventually forming a stable bay that will provide natural protection to the remaining railway line.

Preferred Scheme
The preferred scheme involves constructing rock revetments to protect vulnerable railway infrastructure from wave impact and erosion.

Naylors Cove

Bray Head
At Bray Head, the railway runs along cliffs supported by masonry and rock structures. Rock revetments using 6–10 tonne armour rock will be placed on existing rock platforms, with a gravel layer beneath, to reinforce and protect these structures.

Greystones North Beach
At Greystones North Beach, earlier designs with detached rock headlands were revised for safety and access. Instead, two revetments will be built directly against the cliff to maintain beach access and protect the railway. These will use large armour rock with an underlayer.

You can check out the Bray Head to Greystones North Beach brochure here.

Concrete revetments at The Breaches

Kilcoole to Newcastle 

This project area spans approximately 4 km between Kilcoole and Newcastle, with proposed works covering 2.5 km of this stretch. The railway is situated on a natural embankment at the back of the beach, which is a soft barrier beach feature underlain by hard geology. The railway is locally protected by rock revetments at Kilcoole Station and at the estuary mouth, known as The Breaches. The project area falls within several designated conservation sites, including The Murrough Special Protection Area and the Murrough Wetland Special Area of Conservation.

Project Objectives
The objectives of the project are:

⦿ To reduce the impacts of wave overtopping on railway infrastructure and operations,
⦿ To reduce the risk of coastal erosion undermining the railway

Preferred Scheme
The preferred scheme involves a rock revetment along parts of the coastline between Kilcoole and Newcastle to protect the railway from erosion and wave overtopping. It will consist of two layers of high-quality armour rock placed over geotextile, with the design tailored using wave models that account for sea level rise.

Concrete Revetment
At The Breaches underbridge, a concrete revetment is proposed instead of rock to reduce predator presence near the Little Tern nesting site. This structure includes a concrete slope, vertical sheet piling, and rock toe protection. Due to concrete’s impermeability, a larger wave wall is required to manage wave run-up and overtopping.

Looking south to Newcastle

Wave Walls
Wave walls, made of precast reinforced concrete, will be installed behind most of the revetments to act as impermeable barriers. In areas where the beach is stable, wave walls alone are sufficient, without revetments.

Pedestrian Access
To ensure safe pedestrian access, new precast concrete steps will be added south of The Breaches, while existing steps near Newcastle will be replaced. No new steps are planned between Leamore Lower and Newcastle, where beach access remains open.

A maintenance access ramp will be built near the level crossing south of The Breaches to support ongoing maintenance. It will be secured with a demountable barrier to prevent unauthorised access.

You can check out the Kilcoole to Newcastle brochure here.

Newcastle to Wicklow Murrough 

The project area spans approximately 8 km between Newcastle and Wicklow Murrough, with proposed works covering 4 km of this stretch. The railway is situated on a natural embankment at the back of the beach, which is a soft barrier beach feature underlain by hard geology. The railway is locally protected by rock revetments near Newcastle, Five Mile Point and Wicklow; the remainder is undefended, and some areas have a wide buffer (25-70 metres) between the beach and the railway. The project area falls within several designated conservation sites, including The Murrough Special Protection Area and the Murrough Wetland Special Area of Conservation.

Key hazards include wave overtopping—due to the low-lying railway and narrow beach—and erosion which may cause beach steepening and narrowing, potentially undermining both the rock structures and the railway over time.

Project Objectives
The objectives of the project between Newcastle and Wicklow Murrough are:

⦿ To reduce the impacts of wave overtopping on railway infrastructure and operations,
⦿ To reduce the risk of coastal erosion undermining the railway

Preferred Scheme
The preferred scheme involves a rock revetment along parts of the coastline between Newcastle and Wicklow Murrough to protect the railway from erosion and wave overtopping.

Rock revetment at The Murrough

Rock revetment
A rock revetment will be built along parts of the frontage to prevent erosion and reduce wave overtopping onto the railway. It will consist of two layers of graded armour rock over an underlayer and geotextile. The rock is carefully selected for durability and stability, accounting for future sea level rise. The revetment’s design—its slope, height, and width—is calculated to reduce wave overtopping to acceptable limits to protect railway operations.

Wave wall
At concept design, a concrete wave wall at the rear of the crest between Newcastle and Wicklow Murroughs was recommended to provide an impermeable barrier at the back of the rock revetments.

North Beach 11JAN96

However, during preliminary design the rock revetment profile was adjusted to better absorb and dissipate wave energy and eliminate the need for a crest wall.

Pedestrian access steps
To ensure safe pedestrian access to and from the beach, the design includes 10 sets of precast concrete steps between Newcastle and Wicklow Murroughs. These steps help prevent beachgoers from being cut off by the tide. Their placement is based on the layout of the coastal defences, with steps spaced approximately every 600 metres, ensuring a maximum 300-metre walk to the nearest exit point.

You can check out the Newcastle to Wicklow Murrough brochure here.

There will be a series of in-person consultation events on Phase 3 of the East Coast Railway Infrastructure Protection Projects (ECRIPP) happening in September – at Bray Town Hall on Tuesday 23rd from 2pm to 7pm, Greystones Library on Wednesday 24th from 2pm to 7pm and An Tairseach Ecology Centre in Wicklow Town on Thursday 25th from, yep, 2pm to 7pm. More details here.

You can find out more about the East Coast Railway Infrastructure Protection Projects here.