DATE SET FOR OPENING OF GWILI RAILWAY’S CARMARTHEN EXTENSION

Abergwili Junction, the new terminus of the Gwili Railway, will welcome its first public passenger trains on July 2, as the railway opens its 1¾-mile southern extension towards Carmarthen. Matt Bowen, the extension director, commented: “The opening of the extension increases route mileage by 70%, and we are proud of all of the hard work by our volunteers, staff, members and shareholders in making the project happen. “We are also grateful for the assistance and support of local businesses and those in the railway industry that have contributed. We look forward to a new chapter in the history of the railway”. The £500,000 extension is the biggest in the railway’s 40-year preservation history. It has taken 17 years, with much track material donated from the now-closed Swansea Vale Railway in 2009. However, the four-mile railway is already turning its attention northwards, as the Gwili Railway is planning to extend a further four miles along the former CarmarthenAberystwyth line to Llanpumpsaint (SR465). Estimated to cost £1.2 million, the railway has launched a JustGiving campaign to raise £100,000 to begin planning and clearing the trackbed. For more details, see www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/gwili-railway