A section of the Conwy Valley railway line between Llandudno and North Llanrwst has reopened this morning (Saturday, 11th January) after being forced to close due to severe weather damage on New Year’s Eve.
Despite this progress, engineers continue working non-stop to repair a damaged bridge between Llanrwst and Betws-y-Coed. Once these repairs are complete, the remainder of the line from North Llanrwst through to Blaenau Ffestiniog can also reopen.
The winter storm caused extensive damage along the railway, including multiple compromised bridges, tracks, and level crossings. In one instance, a tree had fallen on the tracks, while ballast—crucial for track support—had been washed away over a 2½-mile stretch between North Llanrwst and Tal-y-Cafn stations. Teams have been busy reinstalling ballast, mending level crossings, and repairing several bridges, including two located south of Llanrwst station.
This marks the second time in nine months that the line between Llandudno Junction and Blaenau Ffestiniog has required emergency closures due to flooding, following a similar incident last April near Dolgarrog station.
In 2020, Network Rail invested £2.2 million to bolster the line against flooding by placing 16,000 tonnes of rock armour along a 2km section between Tal-y-Cafn and Llanrwst. However, ongoing challenges remain due to the railway’s location on a floodplain.
Rachel Heath, Network Rail Wales & Borders operations director, said:
“There is a history of weather damage on the Conwy Valley Line, with the line itself being built on a floodplain and exposed to the worst of the elements. Network Rail has, in recent years, repaired the worst-hit areas of the line and made them resilient by installing rock armour – but resilience is not about being resistant. Unfortunately, there will be times where we must close the railway to carry out repairs – however, the extensive work carried out in 2019 and 2020 means the railway is now able to recover quicker than previously when suffering weather-related damage. We apologise for the disruption and thank customers for their patience and understanding while our teams work around the clock to get the line open again.”
