Great Western Coffee Shop

1. Penychain

I think I know some more, but I assume we are having the usual rules of one guess each for the first 24 hours?

Sadly, even at Talsarnau, the flower tub apparently needs to be chained to a lamp post, lest those with more time on their hands than is healthy might feel the need to push it onto the track ...  ::)

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Meeting over Pont Briwet bridge work concerns

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Pont Briwet was a single-lane toll road which also carried a railway line

Residents of a north Wales town unhappy with traffic delays caused by work on a new river bridge will have a chance to air their views at a meeting with the council later.

The 154-year-old Pont Briwet bridge in Penrhyndeudraeth, Gwynedd, closed in January amid safety fears.

The council dropped plans to build a temporary bridge and began a convoy system on a detour along the A496.

A local councillor said some businesses were concerned over loss of trade.

The meeting is being held at Penrhyndeudraeth Memorial Hall at 19.00 BST.

Originally it had been hoped the Grade II-listed bridge would remain open while work took place to build a new rail and road crossing by 2015.

But in January the council confirmed that Pont Briwet would close permanently amid safety fears, and said a temporary bridge would be installed in May.

The closure meant an eight-mile (12km) diversion for motorists via Maentwrog to the Harlech road, with buses replacing trains until the new railway line opens this summer.

The council shelved plans for a road crossing in March after safety fears due to increased traffic on the A496 between Maentwrog and Llandecwyn.

Pont Briwet: Rail line opening is delayed until September

The new Pont Briwet bridge that will carry the Cambrian Coast railway line over the Dwyryd estuary will not open until September, say council officials.

Replacing the 154-year-old bridge in Penrhyndeudraeth, Gwynedd, is a "complex" operation, say engineers.

They had hoped the construction would be ready by early summer after it closed in January amid safety fears.

But Gwynedd Council has now confirmed trains will not start running over the new bridge until September.

The new structure is due to open to vehicles by Christmas.

The EU-funded project includes the installation of a rail bridge and a two-lane vehicle bridge along with a cycle path.

Rock armour has been put on the new embankments this month as storm protection.

The council said concrete decking will be poured in coming weeks allowing work on the railway line itself to start.

Other work will see Welsh Water replacing and relocating an old high-pressure water main to the new bridge.

Pont Briwet connects Llandecwyn and Penrhyndeudraeth.

Gwynedd council dropped plans to build a temporary bridge and installed an eight-mile (12 km) detour along the A496.

Gwynedd council cabinet member for environment Gareth Roberts said: "Whilst buses have been ferrying passengers between stations, it has obviously not been as convenient as the train, and we understand everyone's eagerness to be able to resume their rail journeys and experience the first stage of this exciting project.

"Work is also progressing well on the vehicle bridge, and we are still confident that cars will be using the new Pont Briwet by Christmas."

Talsarau (population 525) is quite a busy station - 12,064 journeys in the 2011/12 year - more that the 11,330 at Melksham (population 24,000) which I use as a benchmark because I know it quite well.   There are no major toutist attractions at Talsarnau, though you could use it as a base for walking in lovely countryside.  7 northbound / 8 southbound service may call there in each direction Monday to Saturday and 3 each way on Sunday.   The longest you'll have to wait if you turn up at the station during the daytime on a weekday is 2 hours and 20 minutes, and there are 2 trains southbound just 51 minutes apart in the morning peak time. There's a longer gap in the evening northbound, with a last train available at 22:51.

A similar level of service at Melksham (where you'll have to wait for up to 12 hours and 33 minutes) would be most welcome and appropriate as a realistic first improvement.  If passenger traffic rose to the same level per head of population at is already achieved at Talsarnau, you're looking at over half a million journeys a year.  It's not quite that simple, of course.  You have some tourists at Talsarnau, you have lots of international businesses and business visitors in Melksham ...

Delay to new Pont Briwet road bridge at Penrhyndeudraeth

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An artist's impression of how the new rail and road bridges will look

A new ^20m bridge over the Dwyryd estuary in Gwynedd will not open to traffic until next year.

Cars are having to make an eight-mile (12 km) detour along the A496 while the replacement Pont Briwet bridge at Penrhyndeudraeth is built.

The two-lane bridge was due to open in time for Christmas but complex pipe replacement work means it will now be spring 2015.

A parallel bridge carrying the Cambrian rail line will open next week. This had also been delayed and had been due to open in the summer.

The original 154-year-old road and rail bridges closed in January after safety fears and the council had been confident the new bridge would be open to vehicles by December. But Gwynedd council said contractors reported a "significant amount of work" was still to be completed, with problems including transferring a water main.

"We have always acknowledged that this is a complex engineering project and accept that problems will be encountered which cause delays but we know how disappointing it is for the local communities to have to travel on the alternative route for longer than was anticipated," said a spokesperson.

A new Pont Briwet bridge carrying the Cambrian Coast railway line over the Dwyryd estuary has finally opened after being hit by delays.

It replaces the 154-year-old bridge in Penrhyndeudraeth, Gwynedd, which was shut over safety concerns.

The ^20m bridge provides a vital rail link for communities between Harlech and Pwllheli.

However, a two-lane road a cycle path on the bridge will not open until next year.

With the rail bridge now complete, trains are now able to serve the entire Cambrian Coast line for the first time since late 2013.

The upper section of the Cambrian Coast railway closed between Harlech and Pwllheli in November 2013, shortly after the ^20 million bridge-replacement project started.

Bomb casing discovery stops trains on recently reopened Pont Briwet bridge

Metal casing found near former explosives factory led to bus replacement services being put on between Harlech and Pwllheli

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The first passenger trains runs over the new Pont Briwet rail bridge.

Trains on a newly-opened railway in Gwynedd were stopped after a suspected historic bomb casing was found near the line.

Police were alerted just before 11am after contractors carrying out work on the new Pont Briwet bridge in Penrhyndeudraeth found the object.

Trains were immediately stopped as a precaution and Arriva Trains Wales laid on buses to ferry passengers.

A Gwynedd council spokesperson said: ^Contractors working on Pont Briwet uncovered a suspected historic bomb casing while carrying out work on the bridge. It was examined by North Wales and British Transport police who confirmed that it posed no danger. Work carried on as normal at the site.^

North Wales Police called in a bomb disposal team from Chester. A spokeswoman said: ^Officers attended and a cordon was put in place as a measure of precaution.^

Arriva Trains laid on replacement buses between Harlech and Pwllheli while safety checks were made. Trains and passengers were disrupted until the all clear was given at 12.11pm.

An Arriva Wales spokeswoman said: ^Train services were temporarily suspended between Harlech and Porthmadog. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.^

British Transport Police and Network Rail were also informed.

A Network Rail spokesman said: ^It was a police incident that was off the railway ^ but we were advised to close the line for safety reasons.^

Penrhyndeudraeth Cllr Gareth Thomas said: ^Workmen found a piece of metal casing near where the former Cooke^s explosives factory used to be.^

Passenger trains only re-started travelling across the new multi-million pount rail bridge ^ Pont Briwet ^ for the first time on Monday, after being shut for 10 months.^