Cambrian Coast - spot the station

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

The latest update, from the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Delay to new Pont Briwet road bridge at Penrhyndeudraeth


An artist's impression of how the new rail and road bridges will look

A new ^20m bridge over the Dwyryd estuary in Gwynedd will not open to traffic until next year.

Cars are having to make an eight-mile (12 km) detour along the A496 while the replacement Pont Briwet bridge at Penrhyndeudraeth is built.

The two-lane bridge was due to open in time for Christmas but complex pipe replacement work means it will now be spring 2015.

A parallel bridge carrying the Cambrian rail line will open next week. This had also been delayed and had been due to open in the summer.

The original 154-year-old road and rail bridges closed in January after safety fears and the council had been confident the new bridge would be open to vehicles by December. But Gwynedd council said contractors reported a "significant amount of work" was still to be completed, with problems including transferring a water main.

"We have always acknowledged that this is a complex engineering project and accept that problems will be encountered which cause delays but we know how disappointing it is for the local communities to have to travel on the alternative route for longer than was anticipated," said a spokesperson.

[grahame]

And open ...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-west-wales-29002888?

A new Pont Briwet bridge carrying the Cambrian Coast railway line over the Dwyryd estuary has finally opened after being hit by delays.

It replaces the 154-year-old bridge in Penrhyndeudraeth, Gwynedd, which was shut over safety concerns.

The ^20m bridge provides a vital rail link for communities between Harlech and Pwllheli.

However, a two-lane road a cycle path on the bridge will not open until next year.

[grahame]

And other information too
http://www.railnews.co.uk/news/2014/09/01-north-wales-town-welcomes-the.html?

With the rail bridge now complete, trains are now able to serve the entire Cambrian Coast line for the first time since late 2013.

The upper section of the Cambrian Coast railway closed between Harlech and Pwllheli in November 2013, shortly after the ^20 million bridge-replacement project started.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Daily Post (North Wales):

Bomb casing discovery stops trains on recently reopened Pont Briwet bridge

Metal casing found near former explosives factory led to bus replacement services being put on between Harlech and Pwllheli


The first passenger trains runs over the new Pont Briwet rail bridge.

Trains on a newly-opened railway in Gwynedd were stopped after a suspected historic bomb casing was found near the line.

Police were alerted just before 11am after contractors carrying out work on the new Pont Briwet bridge in Penrhyndeudraeth found the object.

Trains were immediately stopped as a precaution and Arriva Trains Wales laid on buses to ferry passengers.

A Gwynedd council spokesperson said: ^Contractors working on Pont Briwet uncovered a suspected historic bomb casing while carrying out work on the bridge. It was examined by North Wales and British Transport police who confirmed that it posed no danger. Work carried on as normal at the site.^

North Wales Police called in a bomb disposal team from Chester. A spokeswoman said: ^Officers attended and a cordon was put in place as a measure of precaution.^

Arriva Trains laid on replacement buses between Harlech and Pwllheli while safety checks were made. Trains and passengers were disrupted until the all clear was given at 12.11pm.

An Arriva Wales spokeswoman said: ^Train services were temporarily suspended between Harlech and Porthmadog. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.^

British Transport Police and Network Rail were also informed.

A Network Rail spokesman said: ^It was a police incident that was off the railway ^ but we were advised to close the line for safety reasons.^

Penrhyndeudraeth Cllr Gareth Thomas said: ^Workmen found a piece of metal casing near where the former Cooke^s explosives factory used to be.^

Passenger trains only re-started travelling across the new multi-million pount rail bridge ^ Pont Briwet ^ for the first time on Monday, after being shut for 10 months.^

[bobm]

There were also delays further along the line yesterday after a bridge strike at Barmouth. A yacht hit and got briefly wedged under Barmouth Bridge.