Steam trains in Wales could soon be powered by coal imported from Russia, the general manager of Talyllyn Railway has warned.

Ffos-y-fran, Merthyr Tydfil, the last coal mine in Wales that produces coal for steam trains, is to close. And a planning application for a new mine at Dewley Hill, England has been refused.

The decision dashes the hopes of heritage railways which need affordable coal to continue, the railway said.

Existing stocks will last into early 2021. and without domestically-produced coal, the sector will have to find ways to import, store, handle and distribute it.

Stuart Williams, said: “When Ffos-y-fran stops there will be no scalable coal provider in Wales to supply steam railways. The main alternative is Russia, which is more expensive, increases net emissions getting it here and puts money into the Russian economy rather than retaining it in Wales. In addition, the coal doesn’t burn as well and can be variable in quality.

“Surely it makes more sense to keep mining the coal we need here rather than having to import from the other side of the world? We shall be raising this urgently with the Welsh and UK governments.”

Dwyfor Meirionnydd MP Liz Saville-Roberts, who co-chairs the Heritage Rail All-Party Parliamentary Group, is urging the UK and Welsh Governments to work together to ensure coal does not have to be imported.

“What we are worried about is that the UK and Welsh governments are offloading their responsibilities to heritage railways by forcing them to seek suitable coal sources in countries such as Russia and even Australia,” she said.

“We are concerned about the carbon emissions of bringing coal so far and also about production methods used in Russia. We need the governments to think creatively to allow mining at Ffos-y-fran to continue whilst reducing emissions. Steam locomotives are designed to burn a certain type of clean coal mined here. The danger is, heritage railways will cease without this reliable supply.

“We must keep them going because they make a significant economic contribution to our communities and have been particularly hard hit by Covid-19.”

Steve Oates, Heritage Railway Association chief executive said: “UK-produced coal generates a fraction of the CO2 emissions created by extracting and shipping coal half-way round the world. And it costs less too.

“Keeping Britain’s heritage railways running with affordable, locally-produced coal would secure the future of a sector which sits at the heart of the country’s industrial and cultural heritage and generates millions.

“Maintaining consistent and reliable supplies of coal is difficult and expensive. That burden will now fall on our members, whose finances have already been hard-hit. The inevitable increase in the cost of coal may well be too much for some to bear.”