A LAMPETER town councillor has insisted that the ongoing campaign to reopen the Carmarthen to Aberystwyth rail link is not “a pie in the sky”, despite consultants saying the project could cost as much as £750m.

Cllr Rob Phillips was speaking after the campaign launched by the Trawslink Cymru pressure group won the full backing of his colleagues last week.

The move followed a well-received presentation by Mike Walker of Trawslink Cymru.

Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Phillips praised the “well-researched and well-argued” presentation and maintained the objective of re-establishing such a rail link was feasible.

“This area was effectively closed off when we lost that railway line,” he told the Cambrian News.

“It should never have been closed in the first place.

“Those were very different times 50 years ago when not so many people travelled by rail.

“There was, for example, no assessment on the economic impact of closing the line or an investigation into whether its costs could be reduced.

“I genuinely believe that the economic benefits to Lampeter, and the rest of west Wales as a whole, would be massive if the line was reinstated.

“I truly believe that there’s a glaring gap in this area’s transport links which only a railway can fill.”

Consultants AECOM say reopening the line could cost up to £750m and involve building five stations, bridges and a tunnel under Pendinas in Aberystwyth. But Cllr Phillips believes the scheme is realistic.

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