Media centre

Tuesday 12 Jan 2016

Work continues to fix flood damaged railway in North Wales

Region & Route:

| Wales & Western: Wales & Borders

| Wales & Western

Network Rail engineers are continuing repair work on the Conwy Valley line after flooding caused damage at over 100 separate locations.

The severe flooding has meant trains have been unable to run between Llandudno Junction and Blaenau Ffestiniog since 27 December 2015. 

The Conwy Valley saw unprecedented rainfall in December which severely damaged sections of the railway, washing out hundreds of tonnes of ballast, the crushed rock that help to hold the track in place.

Flood waters reached platform level at North Llanrwst station, overwhelmed banks alongside the railway and caused considerable damage to a number of bridges along the route.

Engineers have been on site undertaking detailed investigations to understand the full scale of the damage. Sections of the line remained underwater in the days following the flooding and more damage to signalling cables was discovered as debris was removed.

Network Rail is working hard to rebuild the damaged railway, repair bridges, secure embankments, replace signalling cable and clear away debris.

Despite challenging conditions, the repair work is currently progressing to plan and engineers are aiming to reopen the railway by the end of February.

Network Rail Wales route managing director Paul McMahon said: “The Conwy Valley saw record rainfall in December and this has caused a huge amount of damage to the railway.

“We know how important the line is for the local community and we’re working hard to repair the damage and get the line reopened as soon as it’s safe to do so.

“We have started work to repair the damage caused by the flooding, including replacing the hundreds of tonnes of ballast that was washed away. The ground conditions are still far from ideal and this is causing us challenges in accessing the sites. There’s also the risk of further flooding given how wet the land is.

“In the meantime, I’d like to thank local people for their patience and ask passengers to check with National Rail Enquiries or Arriva Trains Wales before they travel.”

While work to repair the Conwy Valley line continues, rail replacement buses are in operation. Passengers are advised to check before travelling here: www.arrivatrainswales.co.uk/check