Llangollen steam rail line nears opening as 45-year track work ends

Work on constructing the line was completed on Tuesday

A 45-year project to build a railway line between two Denbighshire towns has been completed.

Ten miles (16km) of the Llangollen steam railway line has been rebuilt between Llangollen and Corwen, with a platform created at the end.

Earlier this year, the final £10,000 was raised to fill a gap in the embankment between the new Corwen station and the rest of the line.

Work on the line was formally finished on Tuesday.

• Funds secured for 45-year rail project

"It's a big occasion not just for the volunteers who have done the work but also for the people in Corwen who have supported this project," said George Jones from the Corwen Railway Project.

Despite the full length not yet being open, people can still take trips, such as on the Santa Special

The track is due to open next year after testing and tweaking is carried out and then steam trains will be able to travel down its full length.

Work on completing the platform at Corwen will also take place in the meantime ahead of its opening.

Work has been going on for a number of years to get the project completed

Volunteer project manager, Richard Dixon-Gough said: "This represents a magnificent effort and is truly a very notable step forward in completing the extension of the railway into the centre of Corwen.

"With the connection of the track, within the station confines, to the existing railhead, it completes the original aim of returning the railway link between Llangollen and Corwen."

Llangollen Railway president, Bill Shakespeare, 92, added: "Little did I think, when the first track was laid at Llangollen back in 1975, it would take so long to reach a new build station at Corwen."