Call to reopen Welsh railway used in Prince Charles investiture

A railway line used in Prince Charles' investiture at Caernarfon in 1969 should be considered for reopening, a Member of the Senedd has said.

Welsh ministers have been urged to back the reopening of the line between Bangor and Afonwen, near Pwllheli.

Llyr Gruffydd said it makes "eminent sense" to connect the north Wales mainline and the Cambrian Line.

The Welsh Government said the link was a "key strategic corridor".

It said the 27 mile (43km) line "should be given further consideration" as it would not just benefit Caernarfon but villages in Gwynedd like Penygroes and Nantlle by adding them back to the railway network.

The bid to reopen the Caernarfonshire Railway comes amid calls to reopen two other Welsh railway lines that were closed due to the cuts of Dr Richard Beeching during the 1960s.

Campaigners also want to reopen the nearby Anglesey Central Railway between Amlwch and Gaerwen and the link between Aberystwyth and Carmarthen.

Now the Welsh Government has been urged to give "unequivocal support, both in principle and in practice" to a potential reopening of a link that would "help integrate public transport in Gwynedd and down the western coast of Wales".

"Decisions on investing in rail infrastructure are made by the UK government but the very least Welsh ministers can do is commit to supporting the proposal," Plaid Cymru MS Mr Gruffydd told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The line between Bangor and Afonwen on the Llyn Peninsula closed in 1964, but the investiture of Prince Charles at Caernarfon Castle in 1969 involved special use of the branch until that shut in January 1970.

"It makes eminent sense to close this gaping hole in our rail infrastructure helping to both boost the local economy and improve public transport in Gwynedd," added Mr Gruffydd.

"Welsh Government should be leading the charge in making the case to UK government for this much-needed investment."

Since the closure, the trackbed from Felinheli to Caernarfon has been adapted for use as Lon Las Menai, a four-mile long cycle and footpath.

South of Caernarfon, a section of the line from Caernarfon to Dinas was incorporated into the reopened narrow gauge Welsh Highland Railway as the first phase of the line in 1997 and used as part of a cycle path.

Mr Gruffydd has accused "successive Labour Governments in both Cardiff and Westminster" of doing "nothing to devolve the powers we need to develop the infrastructure we deserve".

The Welsh Government said it wanted to see the full devolution of rail and a "fair funding settlement" allowing ministers to take forward plans to improve the rail network across Wales.

"We identified the west coast line - including Bangor to Porthmadog and Aberystwyth to Carmarthen - as a key strategic corridor that should be given further consideration," said a spokesperson.

"We have commissioned Transport for Wales to undertake a feasibility study on innovative ways to operate a rail service along the west coast - including the link between Bangor to Porthmadog."