The ‘most picturesque’ scenic rail line in Britain has reopened after a £1.4 million upgrade

In the UK we have several of the most scenic railway lines in the world. We’ve got the iconic Glenfinnan Viaduct – made famous by the Harry Potter films – the far north line in the Highlands which goes through a UNESCO world heritage bog, trains which traverse the Yorkshire Dales, and some which go deep into the gorgeous Welsh countryside.

But it takes a lot to keep things looking this good. The Conwy Valley Line, which Network Rail says is ‘one of the most picturesque in Wales, but also one of the most weather-exposed’ has been in need of some serious TLC in recent years. In the past 10 years, the route has been closed for more than 500 days due to stormy weather.

Over the next decade, however, that number should drop, as £1.4 million of improvements has recently been made to the line. After nearly a month of work, including clearing ‘high-risk’ trees and vegetation and upgrading essential infrastructure, the 54-mile stretch between Blaenau Ffestiniog and Llandudno Junction opened back up to the public this week, on Monday October 27.

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Hopefully this should mean fewer trees falling onto the tracks, and more sturdy rails for when one or two do inevitably blow down. A state-of-the-art leaf-clearing tactic is also being trialled; a special gel is applied to the rails which ‘breaks down leaf contamination, stays effective for up to seven days, and reactivates with rain’. The future of leaf-clearing is well and truly here.

Network Rail says that this is part of a ‘wider programme’ it is working on with Transport for Wales to ‘future-proof the railway against the effects of climate change and deliver a more dependable service’. These changes, including the brand new leaf-glue, will ‘make a real difference to the reliability of services during the autumn and winter months’, according to a spokesperson for the rail company.

If you end up riding on the newly renovated Conwy line, you won’t need a book to keep you busy. Instead just look outside the window for views of little villages, steep valleys, and Snowdonia National Park in all its luscious, mountainous glory.

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Plus: £120 million is being spent to bring an disused train line back to life, with connections to one of England’s greatest cities.