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A PUBLIC meeting in Aberystwyth has heard a proposal to reopen a line from the town which lost its passenger trains almost 50 years ago.

The route from Aberystwyth to Carmarthen via Lampeter was listed for closure by Beeching in March 1963, and train services were withdrawn as far as Strata Florida in December 1964, following flood damage. Replacement buses continued to connect with trains at Strata Florida until February 1965, when the remaining trains were also withdrawn. Freight trains continued to use parts of the route from the Camarthen end until 1973.

The meeting in Aberystwyth was arranged by the campaigning group Traws Link Cymru, which believes a 90 minute service could be provided. Until closure trains took slightly more than two hours to complete the 90km journey. The group envisages direct services between Aberystwyth and Cardiff via Lampeter and Carmarthen.

The first step is to obtain funding for a feasibillity study, although it is thought that full reinstatement could cost £650 million. A small proportion of the line has been built on, and new alignments would be needed in places.

Traws Link Cymru is pushing for two railways to be reinstated in West Wales. The other would reconnect the Cambrian Coast line with the Holyhead route at Bangor.