A DRAFT report on the possibility of reopening the Aberystwyth to Carmarthen railway line will shortly be considered by the Welsh Government, the Cambrian News understands.

It follows the Welsh Government’s setting-up of a £300,000 feasibility study into the mooted scheme last summer following a high-profile campaign by lobby group Traws Link Cymru.

Supporters of the scheme – who include AM Elin Jones and MP Ben Lake – believe a reopened rail line would provide an essential transport link between the north and south.

Traws Link Cymru says a 2015 scoping study concluded that over 97 per cent of the former trackbed was free of development and that there were no major obstacles in reinstating the line, which closed to passengers in 1965.

Speaking last August, chairman Adrian Kendon said: “We are absolutely delighted that the full feasibility study is finally going ahead.

“Traws Link Cymru will be fully involved with the work to provide local knowledge and statistics to the engineers.”

Mr Kendon added: “You only have to look at the success of the Borders railway in Scotland to see that reinstated lines breathe new life into areas, bringing investment and tourism which boosts the local economy.

“It shows that if you build it, they will come.”

However, opponents argue that such a move would be unrealistic due to projected costs, while others believe money could be better spent on improving trunk roads such as the A487.

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