After years of campaigns and fundraising, Snowdonia National Park Authority has officially approved the expansion of the beloved Bala Lake Railway.
Speculative work on extending the 156-year-old line has been going on for 10 years and over that time Bala Lake Railway Trust has managed to raise a whopping £4 million to make it happen. The plans have now got the go ahead. after an initial proposal was rejected in April last year.
At the moment, Bala Lake Railway only stretches 7.2km from Llanuwchllyn along the shore of Llyn Tegid (Wales’s largest natural lake) to the outskirts of Bala.
Now that the green light has been given, the railway will get a new station in Bala town centre and an extra 1.2km of track. It’s hoped that the upgrade will help bring more tourists to the area. In fact it’s believed that passenger numbers will increase from 34,000 to 60,000.
Julian Birley, chairman of Bala Lake Railway Trust, said: ‘This is a very exciting day here in Wales and we would all like to express our sincere thanks to everyone who has supported us both financially and morally in something that until now was completely speculative.
‘Without that support this would all still be and remain a dream. That belief in us and the project is what kept us all going and we will never forget that.’
Work can’t start until improvements to the Bala water treatment works have been completed, which is set to be in March 2025.
Steam-powered Britain
Loco for locomotives? We’ve got all the heritage railway updates you need, including news that this beloved heritage railway in England could soon close, this Victorian steam train is now back in action and this special historic steam engine is coming back into service. If you’re super keen for all things steam, you might also enjoy this dazzling steam-powered holiday around Wales.
Did you see that Big Mamma is opening first UK restaurant outside of London?
Plus: An espresso martini festival is coming to the UK this month.
Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out UK newsletter for the latest UK news and the best stuff happening across the country.