Rail track testing complex at former mine delayed

The train testing site is envisaged to be a big economic boost for the area

A rail track testing facility set to bring thousands of jobs to an area of mid Wales is at least five years behind schedule, it has been revealed.

Planning permission was granted to transform the former Nant Helen coal drift mine near Ystradygynlais, Powys into a Global Centre of Railway Excellence (GCRE) back in 2021.

It was originally expected the site would be operational by this year, but last year GCRE was granted more time to provide detailed plans.

On Friday, councillors received a report outlining the risks of the project and were told the need for revised planning permission to be submitted meant the site was unlikely to be completed until 2030.

The development has a potential to create hundreds of jobs and could revitalise the economy bringing in an estimated £300m into the area.

But earlier this year, GCRE said "limited funds" had been set aside for the site's restoration.

Diane Reynolds, Powys council's director of economic development and growth, said future proposals would include restoring a footpath that goes around the edge of the site, which could form part of a cycleway.

"I think they are looking at improving access as well," she added.

Addressing concerns about skills deficit in the area for the new jobs, Ms Reynolds said the GCRE had "a huge programme to entice people into engineering".

"They have been doing Stem (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) sessions with Year Six pupils going out to all of the local schools, providing training and getting young people interested in the types of skills that will be needed for the future running of such a site."