Barmouth to Harlech Cambrian Coast railway line reopens

Another section of the Cambrian Coast railway line severely damaged by storms is reopening after £10m of repairs.

Sea defences and embankments from Barmouth to Harlech in Gwynedd were wrecked by high tides leaving thousands of tonnes of rocks on the line.

Network Rail said trains would run between the towns again from Thursday, two weeks ahead of schedule.

A section from Machynlleth to Barmouth reopened in February, while repair work continues between Harlech and Pwllheli.

Train services have been disrupted since early January when storms and tidal surges caused widespread damage, with Llanaber, north of Barmouth, one of the worst affected areas.

Six thousand pieces of rock have been restored to protect the line from the sea

During the repair work, 40 tonnes of debris were removed from the tracks with 6,000 pieces of "rock armour" restored to protect the line from the sea.

More than 1,000 sleepers, 2,500 tonnes of ballast and 1,400 metres of track were also installed.

Mark Langman, Network Rail route managing director for Wales, said: "The scale of damage across the Cambrian Coast following the storms was unprecedented. There were multiple breaches of the sea defences and major damage to the railway infrastructure.

"I know how important the line is to the local economy and we were determined to reopen the line as soon as it was safe to do so."

Arriva Trains Wales said it would reduce some local fares by 30% this summer in a bid to boost passenger numbers.