"Permanent" struggling with the heavy lifting that was assigned to it.
Yes, I too originally thought that 'permanent resiliance' meant the line being able to stay open, but it has been made clear that it meant that it was to make it resiliant to major damage leading to lengthy closures like we saw in 2014.
Temporary closure, in extreme weather like today, will still happen from time to time although the better protection should mean it doesn't happen so often. Though to counter that the
IET▸ /Voyager fleet's own resiliance is poor as we know due to the roof mounted resistors.
The 'permanent resiliance' is about much more than just the immediate sea wall around Dawlish, with cliff strengthening works and a rock fall shelter to reduce the risk of and danger from landslip/cliff collapse.
as saying:
"Predicted heavy and persistent rain in the south west, combined with gusts of up to 60mph in coastal areas during high tide, represents a significant risk of sea water breaching the Dawlish sea wall, and debris on the railway," it said.
I hope that's not literally true - "breaching" always means making a hole in, which ought not to happen now. So I guess it's someone picking the wrong word, and meaning that some waves will cross the wall and end up on the track.
My understanding of damage mechanism (and I can't locate a source for this) is that, even with the new sea wall, waves toss a lot of water up above the top of the wall. There the wind can hit it hard enough to push it onto the track (and station, and any trains) with some force - like a tennis serve. The weight of water is enough to tear off bits of structures (such as the station) and throw it on the track. The track can also suffer, mainly by ballast being washed out of place.
The waves carry a lot of the beach with them, and this solid stuff can also get thrown at things. That I think is how trains lose windows, more than just the weight of water. I even wonder if the new sea wall, shaped to turn the arriving waves around rather than block them, may not allow more shingle and rocks to be carried with the wave and pushed into the air.
Obviously the amount of serious damage depends critically on the strength of the wind and waves, as well as many other details (directions, timing, etc). So it's hard to judge where Ingrid will come on such a scale.
