MORE than 100 people have already signed a petition calling for the iconic Dawlish railway viaduct to be improved.

Started by county, district and town councillor Rosie Dawson, the change.org petition is urging Network Rail to ‘invest’ in repainting or restoring the town’s seafront landmark which is rusting and deteriorating.

The viaduct has been the subject of complaints over its dilapidated appearance for many years.

Last year, Network Rail told the Mid Devon Advertiser that is had ‘no plans’ to repaint it and that the costs involved for work which was described as ‘cosmetic’ were considered too expensive.

The petition states: ‘For too long, the iconic Dawlish railway viaduct has been left to deteriorate while repeated requests for it to be properly repainted have been refused.

‘As one of the most recognisable landmarks on our beautiful coastline, it should be a source of pride—not a symbol of neglect.

‘Dawlish is a town that relies heavily on tourism, with tens of thousands of visitors arriving each year to enjoy our seafront, businesses and stunning scenery.

‘The condition of the viaduct sends the wrong message about our community.

'We are calling on Network Rail to invest in Dawlish by committing to repaint/restore the viaduct, demonstrating that our town deserves the same care and respect as other parts of the rail network.’

Responding to the petition’s formation, former town councillor Michael Clayson said when the viaduct had last been repainted, it was streaked with rust ‘within a year’.

He believes a better solution would be to create a false facade using polymer material.

Last year, similar calls were made to improve the look of the rust-ridden metalwork.

At that time, Network Rail said: ‘As a publicly funded body, we have a responsibility to ensure funds are used in a way which helps us provide a safe and reliable railway.

‘Unfortunately, the costs involved in painting the viaduct cannot be justified for what would be a cosmetic change.’

Dawlish Chamber of Trade had previously discussed the possibility of getting a group of volunteers together to look into repainting the structure themselves.

Network Rail had confirmed it was approached by ‘third parties’ with a view to potentially carrying out the work.

However, the viaduct would need to be sandblasted to get the paint off before even beginning to put on new coats of paint.

Because of the bridge’s location directly next to the railway line, there would be large associated costs involved with such a project, running into potentially hundreds of thousands of pounds.

The long-standing problem with the viaduct is when it has been painted in the past by Network Rail, it very quickly begins to look rusty again due to the harsh coastal conditions.