Car charging points opened at Mid Wales railway as part of £89k revamp

Two charging points have been opened at Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway, as part of a wide ranging programme of improvements, thanks to an £89,000 grant made to the line by the Welsh Government under the Tourism Amenity Investment Support (TAIS) scheme.

The charging points are likely to prove popular with EV users, as they are located approximately midway between the urban West Midlands and the Welsh coast – a route with few public fast-charge points and virtually none of the fast 22kW/hr units.

Historic

The TAIS funding will also permit the reinstatement of trackwork at Cyfronydd Station and Sylfaen halt, building of a replica of the original cattle dock and restoration of a historic London & North Western Railway grounded brake van at Cyfronydd, and the at Welshpool Raven Square fitting out of newly extended sheds for public access and for use as a special events venue.

The Welsh language will be prominent across the improvement programme, with all-new signage provided in bilingual form to emphasise the railway’s roots in the community.

Committed

W&LLR press officer Andrew Charman said: "The way people travel by road is changing – sales of electric and hybrid vehicles grew 20 per cent in 2018 in a market that overall dropped seven per cent, and many manufacturers are committed to all their cars having some form of electric propulsion by the middle of the next decade,” Andrew said.

“However the public infrastructure to charge these vehicles is still lagging behind, particularly in mid-Wales. By installing these points we will benefitting both the railway and its customers.”

Welsh Government Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism, Lord Elis-Thomas, described the TAIS scheme as an excellent way for Government to assist the tourism sector to make improvements to local facilities and amenities.

He added: “I’ve seen the improvements made in many areas with the help of this funding over the past year."