North Wales Coast railway to undergo £25m infrastructure upgrade

Network Rail has announced a £25 million investment to transform the North Wales Coast railway line between Chester and Holyhead. The project, described as a “once-in-a-generation” programme, aims to improve reliability, capacity, and safety by renewing track and infrastructure that has been in place for over 50 years.

To facilitate the work, the line will undergo a four-week closure from January 9 to February 6, 2027. For the first three weeks, the closure will span the full Chester-to-Holyhead route, including the Conwy Valley branch. In the final week, the closure will be limited to the section between Llandudno Junction and Holyhead. Key works include track renewal at the Conwy Tubular Railway Bridge, drainage improvements in the Bodorgan Tunnel, and the installation of new accessible footbridges at Prestatyn and Abergele.

Separately, the Welsh Government is calling on the UK Government to accelerate rail funding. Finance Minister Elin Jones has requested that £1 billion of the existing £14 billion rail investment commitment be brought forward to support improvement projects across Wales, noting that currently only 1% of Network Rail’s spending is directed toward Welsh railways.