Coronavirus: Ffestiniog railway 'back on track' after lockdown

A company working to preserve rail heritage in north Wales has said it was left fighting for survival after its income stopped during lockdown.

Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways said it had been unable to pay for repairs and conservation after having to shut during its busiest season.

Now it has been awarded a £250,000 emergency National Lottery grant.

Manager Paul Lewin said without it they would not have been able to do "highly important work".

The company runs services on the Ffestiniog Railway in Gwynedd between Porthmadog and Tan y Bwlch, and also on its sister line, the Welsh Highland Railway from Caernarfon to Beddgelert.

But services came to a halt after lockdown measures were introduced in March, with the company one of many tourist businesses losing income in the peak summer season.

While services have now restarted, with reduced capacity due to social-distancing measures, the company said it was struggling to pay for important work to protect the line and buildings for generations to come.

It is one of a number of railways across the UK to get funding from the National Lottery's £50m Heritage Emergency Fund.

General manager Paul Lewin said: "Without this funding, we would simply not have been able to afford to continue this highly important work, having effectively lost four months of our high season."

"Covid-19 brought all our efforts to a rapid and potentially very damaging halt."