YR WYDDFA RAILWAY SUMMIT SERVICE TO RETURN
AN iconic mountain railway will once again start running all the way to the summit of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) this month.
The mountain’s summit visitor centre will also reopen at the same time after a gap of four years.
On June 24, Snowdon Mountain Railway will resume services to the mountaintop for first time since the Covidaffected year of 2020.
The Hafod Eryri summit building was closed that year and it has not reopened since.
Engineers have been racing to catch up with essential maintenance work that couldn’t be done during the pandemic.
More than 1,000 metres of track have since been re-laid, an upgrade described as “historic” by the operator.
Snowdon Mountain Railway (SMR) had hoped to have the work finished by mid May. But the date was pushed back after winter snow and ice delayed the work.
For the past two seasons, SMR has run services only to Clogwyn Station, three-quarters of the way up the mountain.
With work ongoing on the railway’s upper stretch, trains were unable to resupply Hafod Eryri, which was forced to stay shut as a result. offer our visitors the full journey to the summit of
Snowdon, and to welcome passengers and walkers back to Hafod Eryri.
“With over 1,000 metres of line relaid, this was a historic and successful undertaking.
“Our operations and commercial teams have worked incredibly hard in preparation for our trains returning to the summit, and we are looking forward to a busy few months ahead.”
Photos taken at the summit in recent days show queues stretching to Yr Wyddfa’s summit, even at dawn.
With trains again offering a summit service, the mountaintop is expected to be even busier this summer.
Some people are chomping at the bit. “I have been waiting to go to the summit for years,” said an Oxfordshire man. Another visitor said: “Can’t wait to do this for my 50th birthday.”
The only UK’s rack and pinion railway runs for 4.7 miles from Llanberis. This season it reopened on April 1 but only as far as Clogwyn Station.
From June 24 it will be running a full service to the summit - weather permitting - until the end of October.
Bookings can be made online on the Snowdon Mountain Railway (Rheilffordd yr Wyddfa) website.