Calls to reopen west-coast rail lines – but cost would be £2bn

SENEDD members have debated calls to reopen railway lines along the west coast of Wales to connect north and south, but balked at the estimated £2billion cost.

- Chris Haines ICHN Senedd Reporter

Carolyn Thomas led the debate after a near-13,000-name petition calling for the reopening of railway lines to connect the north and south of Wales.

As part of the campaign, in September 2023, Elfed Wyn ap Elwyn, the petitioner, set off on a 10-day trek from Bangor to the Senedd following the old railway as closely as reasonable.

His petition called for the reopening of the railways to reconnect Wales, with a west-coast railway linking Bangor to Cardiff via Carmarthen.

Ms Thomas raised a feasibility study published in February on reopening the Bangor to Afon Wen line which shut as part of the Beeching cuts, major route closures in the 1960s.

The petitions committee chair said the research found a third of the 27-mile route was deemed to require minimal intervention, but 25% would pose major challenges.

She said: "If we are looking to develop the infrastructure... and to use a greener method of travel, reinstating and reopening this railway would be a step in the right direction and would be beneficial for all of the communities... along the railway, as well as for Wales as a nation."