Reconstruction of the Welsh Highland Railway, Snowdonia

A largely volunteer-run project to reinstate 40 km of the Welsh Highland Railway between Caernarfon and Porthmadog in north Wales will be completed in 2009. It will link with the existing Ffestiniog railway to create a through route of nearly 62 km – the longest heritage railway reconstruction in the UK. This paper describes the historical context, planning, construction, operation and finance needed to reinstate one of the country's steepest and most scenic railway routes. A culmination of dogged persistence in the face of political indifference will result in an environmentally sustainable transport facility through the heart of Snowdonia National Park and is likely to bring significant economic regeneration to the area.