WATCH: Specialist equipment tackles "catastrophic" Railway Walk tree debris

Saturday 18 November 2023

A specialist tree shear has been brought over from the UK to clear the 400 fallen and damaged trees on the Railway Walk – a process which could take up to six weeks.

The tree-lined walking and cycling route remains closed while the work is carried out.

It is estimated that up to 400 trees were damaged or came down along the Railway Walk during Storm Ciarán, which rocked the island with 100mph winds at the start of the month.

WATCH: A specialist tree shear gets to work on the Railway Walk. (Government of Jersey)

The process could take around four to six weeks, but some sections may be opened earlier than others.

The cycle track at Les Quennevais Sports Centre has already been cleared and is open.

Bruce Labey, the Government’s Senior Operations Manager for Parks and Gardens, said: “I went down to the Railway Walk on the Sunday after the storm just to see what the damage was and it was catastrophic.”

Mr Labey has also provided an update on the work to reopen the island’s parks, where broken and felled trees present a public safety risk.