Level crossings close so more trains can run

Footpaths across railways in north Wales are going to close so more trains can run on the line.

Four level crossings for pedestrians will shut, making it safer to run more services on the main line to Llandudno Junction, rail bosses say.

The Welsh government says its rail company, Transport for Wales, will start increasing the number of trains from two to three per hour in 2026.

The latest proposals include building a footbridge over the line in Pensarn, Abergele, to replace two level crossings for pedestrians. Two more crossings in Prestatyn are listed for closure, and a temporary speed limit for trains will also be scrapped.

The work will be carried out by Network Rail, which manages the track, and the Welsh government’s rail company Transport for Wales (TfW).

Welsh government Transport Secretary Ken Skates said he was "delighted that we now have firm plans in place to deliver this massive increase in rail capacity for north Wales".

“These safety upgrades will enable Transport for Wales to significantly increase connectivity with many more services and a real transport choice for communities in north Wales," he said.

UK government Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens said it was a "practical example of what happens when you've got two governments willing to work together, talk to each other, solve problems, find solutions".

It remains unclear whether a separate £1bn plan to electrify the line, announced by the previous UK Conservative government last October, will go ahead.

Questions have arisen about its feasibility, as no formal work has been undertaken since 2013.

Welsh Conservative shadow north Wales minister Darren Millar said: "South Wales is receiving £1bn upgrading lines there while Labour ministers in Cardiff are investing just £50m in north Wales, and the new UK Labour government has cancelled a £1bn electrification project.

“While news of extra rail services from north Wales will be welcome, the lack of investment in rail infrastructure in the region is totally unacceptable."

But Ms Stevens said she doubts that Rishi Sunak's government ever found that £1bn he had announced for north Wales rail electrification.

After Labour won the general election, she said, the new UK transport secretary announced a "review of all the infrastructure spending commitments that the last government had made".

"I have every suspicion that we will find that that billion pounds does not exist," she said.

However Conservative shadow UK transport secretary Helen Whately MP said "scrapping this investment would be a huge let down for Wales, and a clear signal for how Labour plan to act in government".

“They are choosing to prioritise bumper pay rises to the unions over transport investment and winter fuel allowance."

Mr Skates told BBC Radio Wales Drive the north Wales rail electrification was "never pledged with firm budgets" and the Tories "might as well have pledged to build a ladder to the moon, it was so unbelievable".

Welsh ministers would like electrification to take place, he said, but it was not one of the top priorities "to get service improvements in the near term".