They Dug Up Soil for a Train Line, and Created a Bird Sanctuary

The creation of London’s newest train line also contributed to the creation of a nature reserve in Essex, a county in southeast England, the United Kingdom, where birds are thriving, meant to fight off the threats from climate change and coastal flooding.

“Massive amounts of soil were dug up from below the streets of London during tunneling needed to create the Elizabeth line,” says Rachel Fancy, site manager of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Wallasea Island. “That material was given to the RSPB, allowing us to create our Jubilee Marsh, the cornerstone of our new reserve.”

Half of the seven million tons of soil dug to make the 117-kilometer train line was delivered to Wallasea island, an area of special importance since 90% of its wild coast disappeared in the past 400 years, including habitats and nesting places. The soil was then used to create a network of saline lagoons, islands, mudflats, marshes, fish pools, and grasslands. The 400-acre nature reserve called the Jubilee Marsh is home to avocets, spoonbills, black-tailed godwits, and egrets. “It’s already getting busy out there and that is very encouraging.”