£500,000 to repair cliff railway

The cliff railway started in 1926

An historic cliff railway in south Devon is to have £500,000 spent on repair work.

Torquay's cliff railway has not had a major overhaul for 50 years and has suffered frequent breakdowns.

The railway at Babbacombe is one of the area's big attractions. It was opened in 1926 and is one of only two lift railways still operating in the UK.

Torbay Council will finance the repairs, with the money coming from the recent sale of St Marychurch Town Hall.

Between September and March, the track and carriages will be overhauled and a bore hole investigation will be carried out to ensure the stability of the rocks the railway is on.

A second phase of work will involve the refurbishment of the drive and control systems, plus the railway's two stations.

The railway carries more than 250,000 passengers each year between Oddicombe beach and the top of Babbacombe.

It was closed during World War II for security reasons, but refurbished and re-opened in 1951. In 1993, £60,000 was spent replacing the track.