A £1 million vegetation management programme on the Heart of Wales line is underway, with the aim of reducing delays and cancellations caused by fallen trees.
The 12-week project, which will cover 60 miles of track, was planned before Storm Darragh devastated parts of the line in December, with more than 56 trees falling within one 10-mile section alone during the storm.
The line was closed for almost a week as Network Rail teams dealt with more than 70 fallen trees in total, around 30 of which were uprooted.
The vegetation management work, which will run overnight from Monday to Thursday every week until 28 March, took months of planning owing to the complicated nature of the ecology on the line.
It is part of a significant five-year investment to make the railway safer, more resilient, and more reliable across the whole Wales & Borders route.
From Craven Arms to Llandrindod, every structure will be cleared within 300 metres on both sides, while every station will be cleared within 600 metres on both sides.
From Llandrindod to Llandovery, the work will be less invasive owing to the local ecology, focusing largely on removing overhanging branches from near the line.
The work will be carried out by a combination of Network Rail staff and local contractors.
Dale Caviell, Network Rail maintenance engineer and the project lead, said: “Ecology has played a key part in planning this work. The Heart of Wales line serves such a rural area, which is a hotspot for many different species including dormice, bats, badgers, and newts – the conditions are more or less perfect for them.
“We have been working with Natural Resources Wales and our in-house ecology team to make sure the work can go ahead safely and legally. There are no habitat restrictions over the first 32 miles, from Craven Arms to Llandrindod. For the remaining 28 miles, the work will be far less invasive.
“This project will really tidy up the Heart of Wales line, helping to reduce delays and cancellations, with the real benefits likely to be felt next autumn and winter.”
Image credit: Network Rail
