£1m vegetation management project starts on 60-mile stretch of Heart of Wales line

A £1 million vegetation management programme on the Heart of Wales line has begun.

Sixty miles of track will be covered during the 12-week project which aims to reduce delays and cancellations caused by falling trees.

Between Craven Arms and Llandrindod, vegetation within 300 metres of structures will be cleared - on both sides. This will increase to 600m at stations.

Network Rail has said that between Llandrindod and Llandovery the work will be less evasive due to “local ecology”, instead focusing on removing overhanging branches near the line.

Dale Caviell, Maintenance Engineer and the project lead, said this would “really tidy up the Heart of Wales line”, and reduce cancellations and delays.

He added: “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.”

Around 56 trees fell across a 10-mile section of the line during December’s Storm Darragh. In total more than 70 fell, including around 30 which were uprooted. This left the Heart of Wales line closed for a week.

Network Rail has said the work, which was planned before the storm, will run overnight Monday-Thursday until March 28.