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The Ruabon–Barmouth line was a standard-gauge line owned by the Great Western Railway across the north of Wales which connected Ruabon, in the east, with Barmouth on the west coast.
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The Ruabon–Barmouth line was a standard-gauge line owned by the Great Western Railway across the north of Wales which connected Ruabon, in the east, with Barmouth on the west coast.
The line opened in stages by various companies:
The Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway was absorbed by the Cambrian Railways which, with the other companies, was absorbed into the GWR.
The line was double track from Ruabon (Llangollen Junction) to Llangollen Goods Yard. From there it was single line with passing loops at the following stations: Deeside Halt, Glyndyfrdwy, Carrog, Corwen, Llandrillo, Llandderfel, Bala Junction, Llanuwchllyn, Garneddwen Halt, Drws-y-Nant, Bont Newydd, Dolgellau and Penmaenpool.
The whole line was listed for closure as part of the Beeching Axe. Goods services between Morfa Mawddach (formerly Barmouth Junction) and Llangollen ceased in 1964. Although the whole line was planned to close for passenger services on 18 January 1965, services were suspended on 12 December 1964 following flooding. The section between Ruabon and Llangollen was subsequently reopened on 17 December for passenger trains until 18 January after which only freight services ran until 1968 when the line was closed completely. The section between Llangollen and Bala Junction was abandoned following flooding although a substitute bus service served the stations until 18 January 1965. The section Dolgellau to Morfa Mawddach reopened on 14 December and the section between Bala, Bala Junction and Dolgellau was reopened on 17 December. The whole route closed on 18 January 1965. [7]
Lifting of the track was completed in 1969.
Two stretches of the line have long been reopened as preserved railways; the narrow-gauge Bala Lake Railway in 1972; and the standard-gauge Llangollen Railway which first opened to passengers in 1981.
A 10 miles (16 km) section between Barmouth Junction and Dolgellau is used as the Mawddach Trail, a cycle route and bridleway, conversion of which was assisted in 1976 when heavy floods washed away most of the remaining ballast.
Several sections have been used for road improvement schemes, including a 1+1⁄2-mile (2.4 km) section through Dolgellau, and the station site and trackbed west of Drws-y-Nant. The trackbed has also been redeveloped at the west end of Corwen and a number of houses and apartments have been built immediately east of Llangollen. Infringements occur between Llangollen and Acrefair (typically garden extensions and outbuildings) and the cutting through Cefn Mawr is partially blocked following land slips. At the end of Llanuwchllyn station, a house straddles the trackbed. In the countryside between these sites the trackbed remains disused although some sections are used for grazing cattle.
In 2020, a group was formed with the aim of reopening the section from Bala to Llandrillo as a greenway.