Porthmadog Harbour railway station reopens after £1.3m rebuild

The first train arrives at the newly reopened Porthmadog Harbour station

Trains have returned to a heritage railway station in Gwynedd reopened after a three-year, £1.3m rebuild.

Porthmadog Harbour Station has been completely rebuilt by local contractors with volunteers and staff of the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways.

Chairman John Prideaux said it had been an ambitious project completed despite the recent terrible weather.

Daily services will now operate from the new station and an official opening ceremony will take place on 22 May.

A Ffestiniog Railway service for Blaenau Ffestiniog was the first to leave Porthmadog Harbour on Saturday, followed shortly afterwards by a Welsh Highland train for Caernarfon.

The station has reopened after a £1.3m rebuild

The station serves the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways

Rail enthusiasts were out in force to see trains return to Porthmadog Harbour

An official reopening celebration will be held in May

Thanking all those involved, Dr Prideaux said: "Rebuilding and resignalling Harbour (station) has been an ambitious project.

"It involved a huge number of volunteers, excellent local contractors and staff and called on skills more usually associated with the national network than with a heritage railway.

"The quality is outstanding and much remarked on by outside observers.

"It has also been a great example of teamwork, an exemplar of cooperation - staff with volunteers, Ffestiniog loyalists and Welsh Highland supporters and teams from departments who would not usually be working on an infrastructure project.

"It has been carried out over three winters, and in some terrible weather including 100mph gales," he added.

"Completing such a complicated project on time and despite adverse conditions reflects huge credit on all the volunteers and staff who have been involved."