Mid Wales Railway
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The Mid Wales Railway was a standard gauge railway opened in 1864 as a North-South route serving central Welsh towns including Llanidloes, Rhayader, Builth Wells and Brecon.There were also over 20 intermediate stations on this rural line, many minor, given the very sparse local populations
The railway met with what is now termed the 'Cambrian Line' at the north end, between Caersws and Newtown, and connected to the complex South Wales network in several places. Though a long route, it served to link several quite significant rural centres and the key regional towns.
It should not be confused with the scenic Central Wales Line, now marketed as the Heart of Wales Line , which it crossed approximately half-way along its length at Builth Road, nor with the Cambrian Line from Shrewsbury to Machynlleth. Both of these lines undeniably run at least partially through 'mid Wales' and both of which remain open in 2006.
The railway closed under the 'Beeching Axe' modernisation program of 1963, which viewed South Wales as an area in decline and therefore stripped it of much of its railway infrastructure. It has been noted that the line's retention might have acted to reduce the north-south divide[citation needed] from which Wales is now perceived to suffer, as a result of poor infrastructure between the prosperous south and rural north. Its reopening very occasionally features in discussions of alternatives to by-passes on the A470 road[citation needed].
Unlike the Mid-Wales line, the railway routes which remain open in Wales primarily serve to connect Welsh communities with England, and so the North, Mid, and South Wales rail networks all remain distinct entities, which makes some journeys difficult.
[edit] Re-use
Several enthusiast-run railways use part of the southern route: The narrow-gauge Brecon Mountain Railway run their American-themed locomotives on part of the former Brecon and Merthyr Railway section of the line, based around Pontsticill, and the Swansea Vale Railway have obtained rights for part of the Swansea-Brecon section
As a result of the UK planning laws, former railway sites are "brownfield" and therefore targets for development. In several places the former station sites have been built on for industrial use, as is popular elsewhere on former goods yards. Two Long stretches have been used for by-passes; around Builth Wells and Llandeilos, which is unusual in that the by-pass runs directly through the town on the old railway, re-using its bridges to take traffic past the urban road network without interference.
The condition of the route today can be assessed using aerial photography sites. Some key features have been highlighted here.
