Upgrade of Cambrian line viaduct due to commence

A £1.85 million project to restore Traeth Mawr viaduct on the Cambrian line in Wales is due to start on Saturday 13 February.

The viaduct has 16 spans and is located next to the Porthmadog Bypass (A487) over the Afon Glaslyn. It is one of nine timber viaducts on the Welsh railway, with the one at Barmouth being the biggest.

Network Rail is carrying out a number of projects on the Cambrian Line to improve resilience, including the £25 million restoration of Barmouth viaduct.

At Traeth Mawr, engineers will replace timbers on the rail over river viaduct during a nine-day closure of the Cambrian Line from 13 to 21 of February. Transport for Wales will be running rail replacement services during the work and those who need to travel are advised to plan ahead and allow additional time.

Bill Kelly, route director for Network Rail Wales and Borders, said: “2021 is an exciting year for investment in the Cambrian line.

“We will shortly begin refurbishing Traeth Mawr viaduct, which connects Porthmadog and Minffordd.

“This project can help to prevent future periods of unplanned work, minimising disruption for passengers and reducing maintenance costs to the taxpayer.”

James Price, chief executive officer at Transport for Wales, added: “It’s great to see Network Rail continuing to make progress in restoring historic structures on the Cambrian Coast line and safeguarding its future, following Network Rail’s ongoing work to restore Barmouth bridge.

“This investment sits alongside our own investment in transforming services throughout the Wales and Borders network, including brand new trains for the Cambrian Coast Line in the years to come.

“We’re working collaboratively to ensure minimal disruption for our passengers making essential journeys while work is taking place.”

Network Rail expects to return to carry out further work on Traeth Mawr Viaduct, which is likely to take place in 2022 or 2023.