It may not quite compare to the majesty of the Alpine Tunnel that releases Bernina Express trains over the Landwasser Viaduct. But for the sheer beauty of the surrounding landscape, the Ffestiniog Tunnel comes pretty close.
Its construction, in the 1870s, was a triumph of Victorian effort and its survival was equally epic. The future lies 4km underground from Blaenau Ffestiniog, in one of the most rugged parts of the Conwy Valley Line. Its future has long been in doubt, but it is still open and still defying all odds.
This is a tunnel cut through slate rock and was once the longest unlined tunnel in Europe (it is still the longest in Britain). The line, which carries trains between Blaenau and Llandudno Junction, reaches its highest point at 230 metres, halfway through the tunnel.
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In an area with heavy rainfall and no lining, the Ffestiniog Tunnel has been plagued by water intrusion, rockfall and landslides over the years. In 2017 and 2019 it was closed for an extended period. At one point, when expensive repairs were needed, it seemed the writing was on the wall.
Railroad enthusiasts joked that it was closed longer than it was open every year. But in 2019, Network Rail bit the bullet and approved a £2.1 million stone chip protection netting system, which appears to have provided the solution. To this end, the contractor, Griffiths Civil Engineering, used new techniques to overcome the challenge of working in a 4km single-track tunnel, where fumes, dust and gravel were an ever-present threat.
The work focused on the central part of the tunnel, recorded on old drawings as the ‘bastard slates’. Between 1873 and 1879, two teams of workers had excavated 300,000 tons of stone at each end, at a rate of eight feet per day, but they slowed down when they reached the iron-hard slates in the middle.
Even among today’s engineers, the shale bed is known to wear out drill bits in no time. Traditional hand drilling took about an hour to attach one two-metre bolt – and the new rock protection net required 600 stainless steel rock bolts, each 2.5 meters long. Join the North Wales Live WhatsApp community group where you can get the latest stories straight to your phone
To meet the challenge, Griffiths used rail-mounted hydraulic drilling rigs. “This reduced drilling times to less than 10 minutes,” the company said at the time. Meanwhile, fogging units dampened the dust and using a low-emission fuel reduced the threat of carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides. The innovations mirrored those of tunnel construction when steam-powered boring machines and ventilation systems were introduced.
The problems of maintaining the tunnel pale against those further down the line, where the railway runs close to the River Conwy. Floods have led to several closures over the years, often for extended periods. The most recent disruption, in April, lasted just four days after Network Rail engineers worked around the clock to install more than 200 tonnes of washed-out ballast near Dolgarrog station.
The southern entrance to the Ffestiniog Tunnel is just across the A470 from Zip World Llechwedd, a major tourist centre. Most visitors arrive by car, with few stopping in the city center, 1.5 miles away. This state of affairs is not only contrary to the Welsh Government’s climate agenda, but also does little to benefit Blaenau’s economy.
Since 1976, railway enthusiasts have wondered whether the Llechwedd could be linked to the city center by restoring an old branch line from Blaenau to Dinas, which was closed in the 1950s. The idea was to build a new station and run specialized rolling stock up the slope to the quarry. Nearly half a century later, the plan remains in limbo, mired in rising costs and questionable commercial viability.
Two years ago, a cheaper idea was suggested by railroad expert Chris Baker, a retired engineering professor. He proposed using the existing Conwy Valley Line to operate shuttle services between Blaenau and Llechwedd. To avoid the need for a foot crossing over the A470, this would require a new platform at Llwechwedd.
There was plenty of excess capacity on the track, he said – at the time the section from the Roman bridge was occupied for only 45 minutes per three-hour period. On his blog he wrote: “With a little imagination in developing a signaling system to ensure safety, I would like to propose that the line between the city center and Dinas could be used for a shuttle service… track is not occupied. ”
If a narrow gauge were to be constructed within the standard gauge, existing Ffestiniog trains could be used. The only stumbling block, Prof Baker said, was Network Rail and its approval process. Get the latest Gwynedd news by signing up to our newsletter, sent every Tuesday
The 27-mile Conwy Valley Railway was built to transport slate from the Ffestiniog quarries to a purpose-built wharf at Deganwy for export by sea (a section running to Blaenau Ffestiniog was only added later). Up to 500 tons of slate were transported along the line every day.
Originally intended as a narrow gauge line, plans were changed at the eleventh hour. This decision to choose standard gauge would have a major impact on the area. The line not only turbo-charged the region’s slate industry, but also provided an outlet for the market town of Llanrwst. The line also opened the horizons of people living in the Eryri countryside.
In addition, it stimulated the emerging tourist industry in the area, especially in Betws-y-Coed where a major station was built. The legacy of the hard workers who defeated the “bastard slates” and created what was then the longest unlimited tunnel in Europe is still felt today.
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