Reader Comments:

Views expressed in submitted comments are that of the author, and not necessarily shared by Railnews.

• Steven Antonio, Crawley

  Aberystwyth station area will need to be redeveloped to accomodate the reinstated approach from the Lampeter line. Ive walked on the formation from Aberystwyth to the first village and it will need to be heavily realigned. However, it is feasable to shift the mainline station about 250 metres up the line and redevelop the station area, with the new station being a "through station". This will negate the need for trains to reverse as was the case with the old terminal and pave the way for the town centre to extend up the valley slightly with new housing and maybe a new branch of the University down there? Perhaps a Railway college! The line through to Aberystwyth is pretty well-built if nothing else, although it is still too slow in many places.

• John Holiday, Mold,Flintshire

  Providing such a service would provide a huge 'shot in the arm' to the areas served. We need greater provision of public transport,even if subsidised.
  We need to get people out of their reliance on motor cars.
  If they can waste money 'upgrading' the M4, then they can improve the rail network.
  How short sighted they were in 60s by ripping out all these lines which it can now be seen would be of benefit. I notice they are spending millions on relaying the Wrexham - Chester line that was ripped up only a few years ago.

• MikeB, Liverpool

  One slight problem is that the Gwili Railway presently operates heritage trains on a short section of this line from Bronwydd Arms to Danycoed and they are hoping to extend the line through to Carmarthen itself. Will they be kicked out or could they become the sole operator running regular steam services through to Aberystwyth?

• Claydon William, Norwich, Norfolk

  These routes were closed for a reason; insufficient patronage. Populations in western Wales haven't grown that significantly over the last 5 decades to change things that much.
  
  Why should tax payers pay a single penny for dubious projects such as those proposed; when there are dozens of much higher priorities.
  
  If Aberystwyth-Cardiff is that important, why not try a through service via Newport and Hereford initially to see if there is a market ?
  
  I have no problem with the Welsh transport folks wanting to reopen Porthmadog-Bangor and Aberystwyth-Carmarthen, providing the funds are found from within the current Welsh transport budget. I would suggest that even within Wales there are far higher priorities than these.
  

• daodao, Cheshire

  The concept of rebuilding long-closed rural rail lines is pure fantasy. It is actually surprising that so many lines have survived in Wales.
  
  The following lines are hopelessly uneconomic and would have been closed but for political reasons:
  Wrexham-Bidston
  Llandudno Jcn-Blaenau Ffestiniog
  Shrewsbury-Aberystywth
  Machynlleth-Pwllheli
  Craven Arms-Llanelli
  All lines west of Carmarthen
  Most of the Valley Lines, including the reopened Maesteg and Ebbw Vale lines. Retention of some inner sections Caerphilly/Pontypridd-Cardiff-Barry are probably justified, given the congestion on the A470.
  
  The Chester-Holyhead line is probably barely viable now, with minimal freight traffic and Holyhead's role for passenger ferries much diminished over the last 15 years with the rise of budget airlines, but probably should be retained, with the Llandudno branch as a single-track siding.
  
  The only other Welsh lines with any real future prospects are:
  the mainline from Severn Tunnel Jcn to Swansea
  Newport to Hereford (as a secondary route)
  Chester to Shrewsbury
  Carmarthen to Swansea, operated as a singled secondary branch line.
  Some short goods branches, where opencast mining still exists and can justify their retention until the coal runs out.
  
  BTW, the same applies in the North of England, where Northern Rail is a basket case.
  
  

• David Cook, Broadstone, Dorset

  Transport links in Wales are fairly grim, particularly between South and Mid Wales. Tourism has increased revenue on remaining lines, and knowing the number of new trains that are planned for other routes around the UK, it may be possible to relay the line and use reconditioned units from elsewhere to keep costs down. Many times I've wondered how many "Beeching closures" would have taken place had we had the foresight of what we now know about increased use of railways in the last 20 years. I must admit, I'll look forward to travelling on the line if it does get built, although success will rest on more than a few people like me who enjoy a railrover for a holiday!!!

• Martin Walters, Blackwood

  I'd love to see that happen! It would cut cut journeys between South Wales and West Wales in half.
  
  Key points ~ Aberystwyth and the neighboring towns could get a great boost in tourism/holiday makers!
  
  2nd key point. Aberystwyth is home to quite an important university!
  The same route also sees the Lampeter university!
  
  The alternative and probably equally effective.. would be to create a rail link between Llandrinod Wells and Newtown, ~ Double more of the track on the heart of Wales line.. and also improve line speed ~ Thus giving easier access for South, Mid and West Wales to each other.. ~ that would be much less track lay, though I am unsure about the landscape.

• Lutz, London

  They must be hoping that the Welsh Assembly is going to win the EuroMillions Jackpot.
  
  Are they seriously proposing that the Welsh Government should spend probably nearly three quarters of a billion GBP on a fantasy project with not even an estimate of the potential patronage when the said Government can not finance additional capacity on it's existing railways and is going to be crushed by additional demands from the NHS & Social costs????

• John Gilbert, Cradley, Herefordshire

  I agree whole-heartedly with Chris. Neville-Smith, even though I am Saeson!! It does seem strange that travel from north to south Wales has to be through England. even though geographically we know why./// Incidentally it would be courteous to Welsh-speaking people living in western England on the north-to-west line if relevant stations were to have their names bilingual, e.g. Hereford/Henffordd, Leominster/Llanllieni, Ludlow/Llwydlo and Shrewsbury/Amwythig.

• Chris Jones-Bridger, Buckley Flintshire

  Our future transport needs certainly need fresh thinking. The Welsh railway map, like so many other parts of the UK, was left bereft after the Beeching era cuts. One only has to read the history of the Aberystwyth to Carmarthen railway to understand how it struggled into existence as the only part of the grander Manchester & Milford Railway to become operational to appreciate why it failed and was a candidate for closure in the 1960's. Times change though and as has been shown with other reopening's transport demands have altered dramatically in the intervening years.
  
  To see a through route recreated between Bangor & Carmarthen clearly requires significant financial and political will to be achieved. While the overall aim may be daunting an incremental approach may yield dividends. After many years coming the Cambrian main line from Aberystwyth to Shrewsbury will see an improved service from May. Time to look at the implications for improving the coast branch to Pwllheli. Relinking Caernarfon to the national network is already an aspiration.
  
  It is also surely time to examine how other rural routes such as the Heart of Wales that owe their survival to Beeching era campaigning against closure and stringent BR cost control can be developed to play a full role in the 21st century transport landscape. For too long, especially in the post privatisation operating model, these routes have existed in a state of stasis lacking strategic development.
  

• andrew blurton, Stafford

  Would the Welsh Government consider designing a better rail network & an expanding rail service & operation for all the train operators in all the towns & communities & cities in Wales with better transport rail links & re-opening all the closed railway lines?
  It would make more common sense with the travelling public who are also commuting & using the rail service's & travelling in Wales everyday if the transport secretary did ask the travelling public more frequently about the appalling state & rail network we have now got today in all area's of Wales nowadays.
  It could also bring more benefits to the tourist industry & economy if the government do consider re-opening a new rail link between Chester & Barmouth via Snowdonia & Wrexham & Denbigh & Bala Lake where a lot of the general public do not have a rail service in their own neighbourhood at all.
  

• Wingcommander, Liverpool

  I can't comment on the Aberystwyth to Camarthen, but, the Bangor-carnarvon -Phweli link makes a lot of sense, it would open up that whole coast line to economic and tourist development and link the coast into economic centres of Liverpool, Manchester, Chester plus improve north south connectivity from Mid wales north. I am surprised Plaid Cymru never campaigned for this and always surprised that more effort is put into establishing tourist steam trains (welsh mountain Railway) rather than a full passenger service in NW Wales

• Chris Neville-Smith, Durham, England

  Normally, I'm sceptical about re-opening lines closed by Beeching. In most cases, the line everyone gets dewy-eyed over is one that is either clearly unviable, or offers a service that had been long since superseded by the modern network.
  
  On this occasion, however, I'm minded to support it. It's all very well travelling east to west in Wales, but it's ridiculous that you should have to go via Shrewsbury to get from south Wales to mid-Wales, or mid-Wales to North Wales. Bearing in mind the billions we're spending improving connections to places that already are already connected, £650m doesn't seem a lot of a link of this much importance to Wales.
  
  Good luck to this campaign. Hope it comes off.