BARMOUTH’S iconic wooden viaduct has reopened after a fire damaged the bridge last week.

The line between Barmouth and Tywyn reopened on Monday following a week of rail chaos in north Wales.

Network Rail engineers have worked to reopen the line after a fire caused localised damage to one of the viaduct spans last Tuesday, taking a band of fire crews seven hours to extinguish fully.

A small amount of remedial works will take place over the coming weeks, with work taking place overnight and at weekends when trains are not scheduled to run.

The pedestrian walkway has not been affected by the fire and will remain open for the duration of the work.

Andy Thomas, route managing director at Network Rail Wales, said: “I’d like to thank the passengers affected by the line closure for their patience while we carried out these essential repairs, and I’m pleased to hear that the line has now reopened.

“Safety is our number one priority and unfortunately the damage caused by the fire meant that we had no option but to close the line to carry out this work.

“Our engineers will also be working hard over the coming weeks to undertake further repair work to the structure but this will not affect rail services.”

An investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing.