A letter from Transport Minister for Wales Ken Skates to the Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps to invest in the Wales and Borders rail network through the UK Government’s Restoring Your Railways fund, has reiterated the case for plans to reopen the line between Bangor and Caernarfon.
The Reshaping of British Railways Report of 1963 (Beeching Report) ended passenger services on around a third of the rail network, closing more than 2,300 stations and up to 5,000 miles of track across the UK.
The Bangor-Caernarfon line was recommended for closure in 1963, but was kept open and used to bring VIP’s to Caernarfon for the investiture of Prince Charles as Prince of Wales in 1969. The line was then kept open for freight traffic following the disastrous fire on the Britannia Bridge in 1970 but eventually closed in 1972.
The Campaign for Better Transport group has previously listed more than 20 lines and stations in Wales it believes could improve the Welsh rail network, including re-opening the seven mile Bangor to Caernarfon line, which it has identified as one its top priorities.
The project would also involve rebuilding the former station at Caernarfon which has been demolished and redeveloped as a supermarket and a new station at Felinheli. A bridge at Felinheli, embankment at Caernarfon and a tunnel at Faenol would also need major repair work. Part of the trackbed is currently used as Lon Las Menai, a popular cycle path .
A report undertaken by Transport for Wales for the Transport Minister Ken Skates identified also four locations for new stations at Deeside Parkway, St Clears, Ely Mill and Carno on the Cambrian Mainline in mid Wales. The developments, which would be paid for under the New Stations Fund 3, would be ready by early 2024.
Photos:
The last train arrives at Caernarfon Station in 1972 and Bangor-Caernarfon train ticket
