Plan to extend Llangollen railway

The railway line could be extended into Corwen

Plans to extend the Llangollen Steam Railway line in Denbighshire have been revealed.

The Llangollen Railway Society wants to extend the line - which runs from Llangollen to Carrog - by a further two-and-a-half miles to Corwen.

A team of consultants has been appointed to oversee the plans, which would include a new station at Corwen.

Denbighshire Council said an environmental impact statement would be made ahead of a planning application.

A spokesperson said: "The proposals by the Llangollen Railway Society to extend the line to Corwen are not yet the subject of a planning application.

"Work is ongoing to prepare a planning application with accompanying documentation, including an environmental impact assessment, supported by Denbighshire and the Welsh Assembly Government."

It is thought Leeds-based consultants JPM will take around a year to complete their findings.

The society has not abandoned its long-standing ambitions to extend the line in the other direction, to link with UK network rail services in Ruabon.

It has also launched an appeal to raise money to restore one of the line's most photographed stations.

Writing in the latest edition of Steam at Llangollen magazine, the Society says £80,000 is needed to restore Berwen station, and it is asking photographers and tourists to donate £5 each towards the fund.

The society said: "The estimated cost is £80,000 so we need lots of fivers."