Councillor to walk from Bangor to Cardiff in campaign to re-open rail link
A Gwynedd councillor will walk 230 miles from Bangor to Cardiff as part of a campaign to re-open rail links between north and south Wales.
Plaid Cymru councillor for Bowydd and Rhiw, Elfed Wyn ap Elwyn will follow the rail corridors of Afon Wen, Cambrian, Aberystwyth to Carmarthen and the Great Western to Cardiff line.
His intention is to raise awareness of the need for a better public transport system to unite Wales and also link with the rest of the UK.
Elfed’s journey can be followed using Traws Linc Cymru’s live tracking map.
He is a member of the Traws Linc Cymru campaign group which wants to see a train network re-established in west Wales and to reunite communities in both north and south Wales – saving people hours of extra time having to travel through England as it currently stands.
Elfed will start his journey by leaving Bangor early on the morning of Sunday, September 17 and will finish 10 days later in Cardiff on September 27.
Journey
He will walk from Bangor to Penrhyndeudraeth and pause to attend council meetings then he will walk from Penrhyndeudraeth to Barmouth before travelling on to Machynlleth the next day.
He will then make his way to Aberystwyth then on to Lampeter. Next he will walk from Carmarthen to Swansea before making his way to Bridgend.
From there he will walk to Ogmore, then Penarth and will finally finish his journey in Cardiff Bay on September 27.
Elfed said: “I really want to see the railways re-opening because I want to see the communities that have lost touch with each other from the time of the Beeching (cuts) to be re-connected again.
“I would like to see a community like Tregaron be part of a rail network and Penygroes being linked with Caernarfon again. I think the connections between communities have distanced since the railways were axed.
“Rural Welsh communities need to be reconnected which would be a positive development for the economy and the language as well.”
Improvement
Elfed believes it would be possible for someone to travel from north Wales to Cardiff within a few hours – and complete a return journey easily within a day in the future – if the rail system is improved.
He said: “It’s ridiculous that we have to travel in the shape of a reversed C if we want to go from Bangor to Cardiff – from Bangor to England and down the Marches towards Cardiff. It’s crazy.”
He added: “I want them to be able to maybe catch the train in Penrhyndeudraeth to go to Cardiff rather than having to have a car or if they want to go to Bangor that they can use the train.
“I want to develop Wales into a confident and prosperous country in which to live in so that we connect Wales internally rather exist as some cupboard under the stairs for Westminster as it is at the moment.
“If you want to join me on my walk or can offer me a place to stay for the night along the way, I would be very grateful!”
So far, 11,447 people have already signed a petition started by Elfed calling for rail links to be re-opened to re-connect north and south Wales.
The petition will be presented to the Welsh Parliament Petitions Committee on Wednesday, September 27 – the day Elfed arrives at the end of his epic journey in Cardiff Bay.
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He only needs to change at Crewe and then he can go straight to Cardiff and link with UK mainlines.
If MD and co could put the same enthusiasm into the western seaboard rail link as they have done for slowing the roads down it would be done. The cost of signage is peanuts compared to the cost of the ‘permanent way’ needed but why not trade on Cymru’s reputation worldwide for rail travel. Include the Heart of Wales line and a green electric national railway would be a national treasure that did not depend on various invasions to bring about… Good fortune Elfed and don’t forget the waterproofs, I for one will be following you on the tracker… It… Read more »
Sarn Elfed – I like that. He should register the brand. Sounds a lot better than “gwastraff Drakeford”. I’m not a huge enthusiast for a rail revival, not so much the cost but rather the fact that rail is a fixed track needing other forms of transport to get me to a station and from a station to my destination, sometimes many miles away. However if the State and its movement police decide that private motor travel is to become verboten rail will become an option with much enhanced interconnectivity with buses. This is a small country so any objection… Read more »
My pal from Ynys Mon says he should start from Amlwch…
From Mallwyd to Dol is fine…
Totally agree that there should be direct link between North and South Wales. As always all Welsh government money like the British government spend the lions share of money in the south east. For example the South Wales metro. They the Welsh government don’t care about the rest of wales outside Cardiff or west of Bridgend. They would argue differently.It’s time for a change of government here in Wales.
It is based on the population of the area. Rural regions do not have the same facilities as urban ones. It is the same the world over, just look at airports and hospitals in Wales. We sort of have one airport and huge swathes of the country with no hospitals of dual carriageways let alone motorways.
The WG can not run the trains they have never mind a service that links a nation. A road would be better. This would go against the WG policy of walking only.