September 29, 2026 - 314 views
More than £25 million is to be invested in the North Wales Coast railway as part of a major programme of work designed to improve reliability, capacity and safety along the route.
Network Rail says the once-in-a-generation investment will bring together several years’ worth of complex engineering work during a four-week closure of the railway in January and February 2027.
The North Wales Coast line will close from Saturday 9 January until Saturday 6 February 2027, with work taking place at locations between Chester and Holyhead.
During the first three weeks, the railway will be closed between Chester and Holyhead, as well as on the Conwy Valley line and the branch between Llandudno Junction and Llandudno.
During the fourth week, the closure will be reduced to the section between Llandudno Junction and Holyhead.
Rail replacement services will operate throughout the closure, although detailed arrangements have not yet been announced. Network Rail and Transport for Wales say passengers can expect full information about alternative travel arrangements in autumn, with amended timetables due to appear in journey planners between late October and early November.
The work is being carried out following the introduction of a new North Wales timetable in May this year, which increased Transport for Wales services across the region by 50 per cent – described as the biggest timetable improvement in North Wales for a generation.
The additional trains mean more use of the existing infrastructure, making the renewal programme particularly important.
Network Rail says bringing a large amount of work together into one intensive four-week programme will reduce the need for repeated weekend closures in the future.
The investment includes the renewal of track through the Grade I-listed Conwy Tubular Railway Bridge, where the existing track dates back to 1978.
Major track and drainage improvements will also take place inside Bodorgan Tunnel, with infrastructure dating from 1972 being replaced and work carried out to reduce the risk of flooding.
At Penmaenbach, sections of track last renewed in 1986 will be replaced and ground improvements carried out.
Track and points will also be improved at Holyhead and Llandudno, while Llandudno Junction station will receive platform improvements.
Four level crossings east of Bangor will be worked on, while around £1.4 million will be spent on vegetation management at nine locations along the route.
Two new fully accessible footbridges will be built at Prestatyn and Abergele. The new bridges will allow four high-risk level crossings to be closed.
The scale of the engineering operation will involve 22 engineering trains and specialist machinery working on the railway.
More than 3,000 concrete sleepers and 9,000 tonnes of ballast will be brought in, while around 9,800 tonnes of spoil will be removed for recycling or reuse on future railway projects.
Network Rail says the programme will also allow engineers to carry out additional maintenance while the railway is already closed, making use of the extended possession to complete work that would otherwise require further disruption.
Emma Osborn, Passenger Strategy Director for Network Rail's Wales and Borders route, said the investment represented a major opportunity to renew infrastructure across what she described as a vital railway.
She acknowledged that closing the line for four weeks would affect passengers and communities, but said bringing the work together would allow it to be delivered more safely and efficiently and avoid a prolonged series of weekend closures.
Transport for Wales Planning and Performance Director Colin Lea said the investment was important as passenger numbers and service frequencies across North Wales continue to grow.
He said essential track maintenance, tunnel drainage work and new accessible footbridges would help deliver a more reliable service and better stations for communities across the region.
Avanti West Coast has also warned passengers that its services on the North Wales route will change during the closure and says it is working with Network Rail and other industry partners on arrangements for customers.
The January timing has been chosen partly because it is traditionally a quieter period for tourism in North Wales, with many holiday parks and attractions closed for the winter.
The railway improvements form part of wider investment in North Wales transport, alongside new trains, buses and fleet improvements.
Passengers planning journeys in January and early February 2027 are being advised to check before travelling once the revised timetables are published.
