HEAVY rain has caused flooding which has closed the Conwy Valley railway line between Llanrwst and Blaenau Ffestiniog.

Transport for Wales has taken to social media to make the announcement, it stated: “Due to heavy rain flooding the railway between Llanrwst and Blaenau Ffestiniog is closed. Train service to and from these stations may be subject to disruption.”

It added the disruption is expected to last until 10am today.

The line reopened last September on completion of a £2.2m improvement programme. It has washed away because of flooding twice in the past two years, which has meant lengthy closures for passengers and local communities while the railway has been repaired.

The improvements to help protect the vital line have involved the installation of 16,000 tonnes of rock armour alongside almost two kilometres of railway between Tal-y-Cafn and Llanrwst. This will help improve the resilience of the railway during flooding.

At the time of the reopening Bill Kelly, Network Rail’s route director for Wales and Borders, said: “We have worked around the clock in recent months to not just repair the line, but to make it more resilient so we can help to prevent these long closures in the future.”