Towyn rail stop given backing by Taith

Jun 11 2009 by David Simister, North Wales Weekly News

AMBITIOUS plans to bring tourists to Towyn by train are on the right track after being given the backing of a regional transport body.

Clwyd West AM Darren Millar said on Tuesday that Taith, who oversee the region’s transport developments, support the idea of a rail halt near Foryd Road to bring visitors to the town after it conducted a business study earlier this year.

“There is no doubt that a train stop in this area would help to resolve the congestion problem and provide a boost to the whole North Wales tourism industry – an industry which relies heavily on the 50,000 bed spaces in caravan accommodation in the Towyn and Kinmel Bay area,” he said.

“A new stop would also be good for residents. It would be convenient for those wanting to access the rail network for commuting or other purposes and a reduction in congestion would deliver real environmental benefits as well as improvements in the quality of life for local residents.”

The Taith consultation into the region’s transport agreed there was a case for a new station, reviving a service not seen since the 1930s.

Visitors currently travelling to Towyn by rail have to change at either Rhyl or Abergele stations before continuing their journey by bus, and Mr Millar believes that if plans for a summer season railway halt near the bridge are approved it could bring relief to congestion on the A548 road serving the town.

The last time trains directly served the Towyn area was in 1931, when the Foryd Road station was closed off to passengers, before being demolished completely in 1948.

It is one of a number of rail improvements which have been suggested to Taith for the region, including upgrading the Halton Curve in Cheshire to enable a through service between Llandudno and Liverpool, and a project to electrify the Borderlands line in Flintshire.