Conwy Valley line

Conwy Valley line
Blaenau Ffestiniog, the interchange between Conwy Valley trains and the narrow gauge Ffestiniog Railway
Overview
Other name(s)Conwy Valley Railway
Rheilffordd Dyffryn Conwy
Native nameLlinell Dyffryn Conwy (Welsh)
OwnerNetwork Rail
LocaleConwy
Gwynedd
Termini
Stations13
Service
TypeHeavy Rail
Operator(s)Transport for Wales Rail
Rolling stock
History
Opened1879
Technical
Line length30.8 miles (49.6 km)
Number of tracks2 (LlandudnoLlandudno Junction)
1 (Llandudno JunctionNorth Llanrwst)
2 (Passing loop at North Llanrwst)
1 (North LlanrwstBlaenau Ffestiniog)
CharacterRural
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
ElectrificationNone
Route map

(Click to expand)
Llandudno
Deganwy
Llandudno Junction
Glan Conwy
Tal-y-Cafn
Dolgarrog
North Llanrwst
Llanrwst
Betws-y-Coed
Pont-y-Pant
Dolwyddelan
Roman Bridge
Ffestiniog Tunnel
Blaenau Ffestiniog (Pantyrafon)
Blaenau Festiniog Junction
Blaenau Ffestiniog North
Blaenau Ffestiniog Ffestiniog Railway

The Conwy Valley line (Welsh: Llinell Dyffryn Conwy)[1] is a railway line in north-west Wales. It runs from Llandudno via Llandudno Junction (Welsh: Cyffordd Llandudno) to Blaenau Ffestiniog, and was originally part of the London and North Western Railway, being opened in stages to 1879. The primary purpose of the line was to carry slate from the Ffestiniog quarries to a specially built quay at Deganwy (occasionally referred to as St George's Dock) for export by sea. The line also provided goods facilities for the market town of Llanrwst, and via the extensive facilities at Betws-y-Coed on the London to Holyhead A5 turnpike road it served many isolated communities in Snowdonia and also the developing tourist industry. Although only a little over 27 miles (43 km) between Llandudno and Blaenau Ffestiniog, the journey takes over one hour, largely due to the sinuous and steeply graded nature of the route taken (particularly south of Betws-y-Coed). Most of the stations along the line are treated as request stops.

  1. ^ "TfW Network Map" (PDF). Transport for Wales. Retrieved 8 December 2021.