Rail passengers warned of major disruption due to engineering works

Nation.Cymru staff

Rail passengers travelling across north Wales are being urged to plan ahead as a major section of the railway will close for engineering works next weekend.

No trains will run between Chester and Llandudno Junction from the early hours of Saturday, June 6, until the early hours of Monday, June 8, while maintenance and upgrade work is carried out.

The closure will allow Network Rail and Transport for Wales teams uninterrupted access to the line to undertake a series of improvement projects aimed at increasing reliability and preparing for future upgrades.

Among the works planned are drainage improvements at Flint designed to reduce the risk of flooding and improve the long-term resilience of the railway.

At Pensarn, preparatory work will be carried out ahead of the installation of a new accessible footbridge, while sleeper replacements will take place at Rhyl on the Saturday night to help maintain track quality and support smoother journeys.

Transport for Wales said the work forms part of wider investment in the North Wales rail network and follows the introduction of a new timetable which has increased train services in the region.

Passengers travelling during the closure will need to use replacement services.

Manchester Airport, Cardiff Central and Liverpool Lime Street services will start and terminate at Chester, while services from Holyhead will terminate at Llandudno Junction.

Rail replacement buses will operate between Chester and Llandudno Junction approximately every 30 minutes on Saturday and hourly on Sunday.

Ticket acceptance arrangements will also be in place with Arriva Bus services.

Colin Lea, Planning and Performance Director at Transport for Wales, said: “We’re encouraging all passengers travelling between Llandudno Junction and Chester to check before they travel over the weekend.

“As no trains will run between these destinations, our Manchester Airport, Cardiff Central, and Liverpool Lime Street services will start and terminate at Chester, while services from Holyhead will terminate at Llandudno Junction.

“We’ll be running rail replacement services between Llandudno Junction and Chester roughly every half an hour on the Saturday, and every hour on the Sunday. We’ll also have ticket acceptance in place with Arriva Bus.

“Please allow extra time for your journey and check before you travel using our website or app.”