THE chairman of a railway trust in Meirionnydd hopes a new development will turn Bala into “a place of destination rather than a town to just pass through”.

Julian Birley of Bala Lake Railway Trust made the statement whilst giving an update on the Red Dragon Project.

The project includes plans to extend the railway and build a new station in the centre of Bala.

He said: “Work has continued apace on the lengthy preparation of the planning application for the extension into the town.

“This is now almost ready for submission.

“Being a new railway formation and being built in such an environmentally sensitive area this application is incredibly detailed and involved.

“The current cost is standing at £150,000.

“All the signs coming back from the consultant engineers who are working on this are that, providing we jump through all the hoops and tick all the boxes, then this permission will be forthcoming.

“But until we can get that consent, we will not rest easy.

“With the new main station just off the high street and visitors starting their journey from there, the railway draws itself, the town and the lake much closer together.”

He added: “Back in May we were facing the prospect of not being able to run a train this year but in July, August and September every day was like a bank holiday weekend. We were incredibly busy.

“With that valuable income and the grant support we have had we can at least assure our staff that their jobs are safe over the winter and we look forward to next season.”