Trains return to top of Wales' highest mountain

The Snowdon Mountain Railway has been taking visitors up Yr Wyddfa for nearly 130 years

Visitors heading for the summit of Wales' highest mountain can finally let the train take the strain after a three-year break.

A passenger service to the top of Yr Wyddfa, also known as Snowdon, has finally restarted following a £1m upgrade.

It also means the summit centre Hafod Eryri is back in business for the first time since the Covid pandemic.

Staff and supplies could not reach the centre or its cafe until two-thirds of a mile (1,000m) of track was replaced.

Vince Hughes, who runs commercial operations at Snowdon Mountain Railway, said the accomplishment was "historic".

"Our operations and commercial teams have worked incredibly hard in preparation for our trains returning to the summit," he said.

“This is a massively exciting time for Snowdon Mountain Railway.

"We are looking forward to a busy few months ahead."

The pandemic meant the summit visitor centre has been closed since it shut its doors at the end of the autumn season in 2019.

It was unable to open in 2020 because of the strict rules on social gathering, and again in 2021 due to limits on indoor socialising.

The railway was able to operate again in 2022, but only three-quarters of the way up the mountain, to Clogwyn Station.

This was due to the urgent need for track maintenance and track replacement on the approach to the summit.

Weather conditions on Yr Wyddfa can be brutal, with rail teams having to deal with snow right through March this year

Work included removing parts of the line that had been there since the railway opened in 1896.

But the brutal winters on the 3,560ft (1,085m) peak meant engineers only had a small window this year and last to carry out the work.

Even this year, there was snow on the summit in April, making it almost impossible for engineering work to take place.

The summit of the mountain regularly leads to queues as visitors make their way to the highest point

Normally, the summit centre and cafe would be open for Easter, but work on the tracks has only just been completed.

Without train access to the summit, the centre could not reopen, as it relies on the service to carry staff, food and drinks up - and waste back down.

Even the diesel used to run generators at Hafod Eryri must be carried on the railway's staff service trains.

"This once in a generation project is the largest undertaken since the railway’s initial construction and the investment of over £1m will ensure the future of our unique attraction," said Zoe Hart, the summit centre's assistant manager.

"We are extremely proud of our team and their achievement.

The reopening of the visitor centre will bring welcome relief to both walkers and passengers, as there have been no facilities on the summit since it closed in autumn 2019.

It has led to complaints about littering, and some using parts of the mountain as a toilet, as hundreds of thousands of people still made their way to the peak - often queuing to get to the summit point.