A COMMUNITY railway project supported by thousands of people is under dire threat of collapsing.

Dreams of restoring a railway line which last saw service 20 years ago has taken a big hit after Network Rail revoked the licence of the Trawsfynydd Railway Company who were hoping to re-establish an eight-mile piece of track between Trawsfynydd and Blaenau Ffestiniog.

The licence was revoked after a huge slab of stone fell from a bridge on the line last year as the community group toiled to clear the line.

A large digger – hired by a volunteer working on the railway line – was too heavy for a bridge it was crossing and may have resulted in the falling masonry.

Network Rail said an investigation showed there was “serious breaches to health, safety and environmental legislation” by the community railway group.

The accident was an “honest mistake” according to Colin Dale, a driving force behind the project, and he hopes the whole project does not collapse as a result of the error, claiming this would be “an overreaction” by Network Rail.

The project has drawn a ground swell of support from the local area and further afield with nearly 3,000 people following the ‘Blaenau Ffestiniog & Trawsfynydd Railway Company’ Facebook page.

“Network Rail talk a good game, but they are only partners when they want to be,” said Mr Dale.

“We’re trying desperately to get them around the table to talk about how we can progress but we’re not getting any answers.

“The digger in question was too large but it was all done in good faith. A volunteer who had travelled from England to help us clear the line and hired a bigger machine for the a tougher section of the track – he didn’t know it was too large and we didn’t know it had happened until it was too late.

“He’s devastated, just like the rest of us.

“Had Network Rail given us the information we had needed when we had requested it, this might have been avoided. I don’t think they realise how hard the work is, if we had 50 people working the line with hand tools, the jungle – because that’s what it is – would grow back in a matter of days.

“Network Rail has the machinery to clear this track just sitting there. We’ve said we’d be willing to pay expenses if we could use the machinery for a week but again, heard nothing back.

“What sort of ‘partnership’ is that?”

When asked about the matter, a Network Rail spokesperson said: “We have revoked the Trawsfynydd Railway Company’s licence agreement after an investigation highlighted serious breaches to health, safety and environmental legislation and the terms and conditions of the licence.

“We have written to the relevant parties to confirm this and outline the key outcomes of our investigation.

“Community rail projects can make a fantastic contribution in the areas they serve and we continue to support groups and volunteers across Wales and Borders.”