Madam,

In October 2017 the Cambrian Coast Line will celebrate 150 years of service. It is hoped that there will be suitable commemorations for this great achievement.

If the line is to continue well into the future it needs more than the ordinary service trains to sustain it. One thing sadly missing from the line are the diesel locomotive-hauled excursion trains which can bring up to 500 people to the coastal resorts.

In British Rail days, sometimes on summer Sundays there were four such trains bringing hundreds of people to Wales. Today there are none.

This year only one special train has reached Pwllheli and that was one-way-only, the passengers returning via Bangor.

It should interest readers to know that two West Coast Railway Company Class 37 diesel locomotives have been fitted with the necessary equipment to operate excursion trains on the Cambrian Coast Line instead of having to rely on the Network Rail locomotives which are not always available.

Many charter train operators would like to organise excursions to Tywyn, Barmouth etc and yet, despite having locomotives available, none are planned.

If the route is to last another 150 years then more traffic has to be attracted to it. It is also sad to record not one ton of freight traffic is carried on the system from Shrewsbury.

Whatever is causing the absence of excursion trains must be rectified as it is a waste of taxpayers’ money if the system cannot be utilised to its fullest extent.

Yours etc

Chris Magner, Dunval Road, Bridgnorth.