Railway engineers have built what they believe is Scotland’s first ever ‘beaver pass’ under a Perthshire rail line to protect local wildlife.
The tunnel near Gleneagles will also help prevent flooding issues caused by beavers building dams in the line’s drainage culverts.
As part of the project a 45mm pipe has been inserted through an existing larger culvert drain with wild mesh fitted either side to protect the railway while still allowing the movement of wildlife.
Working with beaver specialists at NatureScot, the Network Rail team pumped the water out over a number of days before removing the five metre dam by hand.
The Tay catchment around Perth has a growing beaver population and is a recent example of an area where their impact was felt on the rail network and a solution was needed to a flooding issue caused when a resident pair of beavers damned a culvert under the track.
In February, Perth became the first UK city to see ‘resident urban’ beavers for hundreds of years.
The survey found evidence of “strong” beaver activity on the River Tay, including in the centre of Perth.
Signs of fresh activity were also seen on Moncreiffe Island and along the river at the North Inch.
Beavers were hunted to extinction in Britain in the 16th century for their fur, meat, and scent glands.
Ecologist with Network Rail Scotland James Morrison commented: “To a beaver, a culvert probably looks like a hole in a dam – the barriers they build to restrict the flow of water – so they are very popular damming spots.
“The action we took near Gleneagles is the first beaver pass installed in the country that we are aware of.
“It is a repeatable solution which works to protect Scotland’s railway as well as safeguarding the beaver populations and other wildlife.
“The beavers will naturally expand across Scotland and as they do it is possible they could occasionally impact Network Rail’s infrastructure through felling trees on to the line, flooding caused by their dams or burrowing into railway embankments.
“However, they are an important keystone species and we need a proactive approach and sensitive solutions that allow us to co-exist.”
Network Rail’s ecology team has been praised for its work to co-exist with Eurasian beavers – listed as a European Protected Species – while keeping Scotland’s railway safe.
