'Leaky' Snowdon Mountain Railway blasted for poor service

Andrew Lamb is an adventure activity provider and acknowledges mountain environments can change quickly

A guided travel company has criticised one of Wales' attractions, saying it will never send clients there again.

Andrew Lamb, who runs Wales Outdoors, said clients travelling up the country's highest mountain, Yr Wyddfa also known as Snowdon, on the Snowdon Mountain Railway sat on wet seats with "completely unacceptable" drill holes in them to drain water.

The planned steam train journey was replaced by a trip on a diesel train at short notice, he claimed, and his clients were told while already on the train that it would not go as far as the summit.

Snowdon Mountain Railway has been asked to comment.

"What if you were a mother holding a baby sitting in a puddle of cold water?" Mr Lamb said. "It's incumbent upon them to provide a warm and dry railway journey."

He believes Snowdon Mountain Railway "do not need to have great customer service, as they consistently deliver sell-out products", adding that "this has made them complacent".

He said two of his clients on a trip earlier this year were told when they got on the train that they could get off for a full £45 refund, or stay on and likely not go to the summit, which was then confirmed a while into the journey.

Mr Lamb said Snowdon Mountain Railway argued that this was for safety reasons due to high winds, but the company had confirmed twice that day that the train would go to the summit.

"They hold the carrot of a summit trip by train and then they often don't go because of weather conditions, which I understand," he said.

But he believes that on this particular day, the company "didn't want to go because it was a horrible day and it was getting towards the end of the day".

He says the company did respond to his complaint, saying it would be "strengthening its customer support during weather-related disruptions".

Snowdon Mountain Railway warns customers on its website that travel may be disrupted or suspended due to weather or technical issues, adding that "high winds can affect service year-round".

"Our trains operate in all weather conditions, including rainy, cloudy, or inclement weather," its website says.

"In rare instances, extreme winds on the mountain may necessitate a shorter journey or even cancellation. Visibility on the mountain can change with the click of a finger. As a result, visibility cannot be guaranteed as part of the journey itself."

The company recommends visitors look at the Met Office website and search for Yr Wyddfa/Snowdon summit for "an idea of conditions and visibility".

"I do understand mountains are strange environments," Mr Lamb said, but claimed wind speeds had been dropping all day.

His clients received a 50% refund in accordance with the railway's terms.

In 2023, he brought a group of 30 Dutch tourists to the attraction, for them to be told that the train was cancelled as it had broken down, with no option of a later train.

Although the group received a full refund, Mr Lamb says efforts should have been made to bump them on to a later train or put on an extra train. Snowdon Mountain Railway says on its website cancelled trains can be rescheduled for another day, or refunded.

A return journey to the summit of Yr Wyddfa on the Snowdon Mountain Railway takes about two and a half hours

Mr Lamb says he will try to dissuade his clients from taking the trip to avoid disappointment.

He acknowledged the weather was often bad in the area and up on the mountain, but stressed "you don't expect it inside the train".

The driver, he claims, had to wipe the front window with a towel at regular intervals to be able to see out, suggesting "appropriate safety measures were not in place".

"You'd have thought some air conditioning or blowers inside the old carriages would be good. Or simply just making them weatherproof so that the rain doesn't get into the railway carriage," he said.

When Mr Lamb posted about the issue on Facebook, his post attracted criticism of its own, with one person calling it "a pathetic whinge" and adding that "nothing is guaranteed in the mountains".

Another called him "totally out of touch with the mountain environment" and pointed out that the experience was meant to replicate a "bygone age".

Mr Lamb said such comments were made by people who "don't understand how tourism works".

He said there were multiple heritage steam railways in north Wales which offered a "fantastic" service.

"For example Porthmadog to Beddgellert; the trains are excellently maintained and run to a high standard. They don't have rain coming in through the roof or the windows," he said.

"It's about weatherproofing and maintaining your stock. And they don't maintain their stock to a high standard."

Andrew Lamb says his main issue with the Snowdon Mountain Railway is that its rolling stock "is not weatherproof"

He compared the experience with going up Cairngorm mountain in Scotland, where visitors can take a funicular railway to the top at much lower prices.

"And you can have a five-star meal at the top, rather than just a pasty and a coffee," he said. "It's a different experience."

The Snowdon Mountain Railway journey takes about two and a half hours, with a 30-minute stop at the summit, whereas the Cairngorm funicular takes 10 minutes, although passes are for an entire day.

"What if you haven't come prepared for the mountain... which really you don't have to if you think you're taking a train ride, going to a café, stepping out for five minutes," he said.

"Snowdon Mountain Railway need to understand, no matter what they say, people will turn up in shorts and t-shirts."