Carnarvonshire Railway
| Company type | Railway company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Rail transport |
| Founded | 1869 |
| Fate | Incorporated into the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) |
| Successor | London and North Western Railway (LNWR) |
| Headquarters | Caernarfon , Wales, United Kingdom |
Area served | Caernarfon to Afon Wen, Wales |
The Carnarvonshire Railway served as a link between Caernarvon—the endpoint of the Bangor and Caernarvon Railway originating from Bangor—and Afon Wen.
History
In 1869, the Carnarvonshire Railway was incorporated into the LNWR. Following the 1921 railway consolidation under the Railways Act, the LNWR was merged into the LMS.
At Afon Wen, a junction connected to the Cambrian Line operated by the GWR, providing routes toward Pwllheli and Porthmadog. The LNWR, later LMS, retained running rights on both these lines. The network included two branches: one extending from Caernarfon to Llanberis, constructed by the Carnarvon and Llanberis Railway, and another from Penygroes to Nantlle. The Nantlle branch originally formed part of the narrow-gauge Nantlle Railway, which was absorbed by the Carnarvonshire Railway between Penygroes and Caernarvon and subsequently converted to standard gauge.
Closure
Passenger services on the Llanberis branch were discontinued in 1930, although seasonal excursion trains from Llandudno operated sporadically until 1962. The Nantlle branch ended its passenger operations in 1932. The remaining stretch between Afon Wen and Caernarvon was completely shut down in December 1964 as a result of the Beeching Axe.
Trackbed re-use
The section running from Caernarfon to Dinas was incorporated into the revived narrow gauge Welsh Highland Railway in 1997, marking its initial reopening phase. Portions of the former trackbed south of Dinas have been converted for use by the A487 road, while other segments have been adapted as part of National Cycle Route 8.
Between Caernarfon and Dinas, both the cycle path known as (Lôn Eifion) and the narrow gauge railway coexist along the original railway alignment.
Additionally, the tunnel beneath central Caernarfon has been reopened to accommodate road traffic once again.