TRANSPORT for Wales has revealed how it intends to keep customers moving during its £25 million programme of engineering work along the North Wales Coast in January and February 2027.
The project will involve a four-week programme of rail line closures, with the affected routes changing during the final week.
For the first three weeks, from Saturday, January 9 to Friday, January 29, no trains will run between Chester and Holyhead or on the Conwy Valley line between Llandudno and Blaenau Ffestiniog.
From Saturday, January 30, trains will resume between Chester and Llandudno Junction and on the Conwy Valley line. However, the section between Llandudno Junction and Holyhead will remain closed until Friday, February 5.
The work includes track renewals and upgrades at key locations such as the Conwy Tubular Railway Bridge, Bodorgan Tunnel, Penmaenbach, Holyhead and Llandudno, with some infrastructure receiving significant investment for the first time since the 1970s.
The programme also includes platform improvements at Llandudno Junction and two new active travel footbridges at Prestatyn and Pensarn.
While the railway is closed, TfW will operate rail replacement bus services, supported by TfW bus coordinators and station teams at key interchange stations across North Wales.
There will be two main types of rail replacement service:
- Faster, limited-stop coaches stopping at Chester, Colwyn Bay, Llandudno Junction, Bangor and Holyhead only.
- Local replacement buses serving stations in between and connecting with the faster coaches at the key interchange stations listed above.
Faster coaches will run every 30 minutes between Chester and Holyhead, calling at: Chester - Colwyn Bay - Llandudno Junction - Bangor - Holyhead.
The full journey is set to take about two hours and 40 minutes.
On Sundays, these services will run every hour.
Local services will serve all other stations along the route.
Colin Lea, Planning & Performance Director at TfW, said: “Following the introduction of our brand-new trains and more frequent services along the North Wales Coast, this investment is another important step towards providing a more reliable and resilient railway.
“Bringing rail replacement management in-house has allowed us to better coordinate our bus and rail operations.
“We know some journeys will take a bit longer during the closure, so we’re asking customers to check before they travel, plan ahead and allow extra time for their journey.”
Emma Osborn, Passenger Strategy Director at Network Rail, said: “The North Wales Coast is a vital railway connecting communities across the region, and this £25 million programme will see our teams deliver several years’ worth of essential upgrades in just four weeks.
“The closure gives us the access we need to carry out this work safely and efficiently, renewing key parts of the railway to make it more reliable and resilient for years to come.
“We know there is never a good time to close the railway, and we’re grateful to passengers and communities for their patience while we carry out this vital work.”
Customers who require additional assistance are encouraged to book 'Passenger Assist' before travelling.
Transport for Wales said all replacement coaches will be fully accessible. However, passengers with reduced mobility are encouraged to book in advance to help ensure teams can provide the necessary support.
More information on the closure can be found here.
Passengers travelling between North and South West Wales, or between the North Wales Coast and the Cambrian line, may wish to consider using its TaithCymru coach service.
The service operates between Bangor and Carmarthen and must be booked online in advance. It also offers connections to Cambrian line services for destinations including Shrewsbury and Birmingham International. TfW also operates TrawsCymru and Fflecsi services across North Wales.
Avanti West Coast will run its hourly service between London Euston and Chester during the first three weeks of the closure, with rail replacement services operating between Chester and Holyhead.
During the final week, Avanti West Coast rail services will operate to and from Llandudno Junction.
Platforms 1–4 at Chester station will close on three weekends in January, affecting services between Wrexham General and Chester.
Those services will be replaced by buses on Sunday, January 10; Saturday, January 16 and Sunday, January 17; and Saturday, January 23 and Sunday, January 24.
Services from Chester to Manchester, Liverpool and Crewe will run as normal.
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