page_title: Anglesey Central Railway
section_title: Isle of Anglesey Railways Ltd
hierarchical_section_title: Anglesey Central Railway / Preservation and redevelopment attempts / Isle of Anglesey Railways Ltd
caption_attribution_description: Cymraeg: Gorsaf rheilffordd dros-dro Amlwch a godwyd ar gyfer teithiau arbennig Lein Amlwch ym 1992 English: Amlwch temporary station erected for the Lein Amlwch special trains in 1992
context_page_description: The Anglesey Central Railway was a 17.5-mile standard-gauge railway in Anglesey, Wales, connecting the port of Amlwch and the county town of Llangefni with the North Wales Coast Line at Gaerwen. Built as an independent railway, the railway opened in portions from 1864 to 1867. Due to financial troubles the railway was sold to the London and North Western Railway in 1876, which invested significantly in the infrastructure. Operation continued under various companies during the 20th century, but passenger services were withdrawn in 1964 as part of the Beeching Axe. Industrial freight services continued until 1993. The railway's tracks remain and local groups have demonstrated an interest in restoring services as a heritage railway.
  The sustainable transport charity Sustrans has proposed to use the route as a cycle path. The Welsh Assembly Government, in partnership with Network Rail, commissioned a feasibility study into the reopening of the line, which started in early 2011. However, as of February 2020 nothing had come of the study.
context_section_description: After a public meeting in Amlwch to gauge local support, Isle of Anglesey Railways Ltd (IoAR) was established in 1991 with the aim of restoring passenger services to the line. Special trains ran from Bangor to a temporary station at Amlwch on the spring and August bank holidays of 1992, and the 125th anniversary of the line's opening (a total of eight return trips). Pathfinder Tours subsequently ran an excursion from York to Llandudno and Amlwch in October 1993. The project's viability was discussed with the Welsh Development Agency and Anglesey District Council, followed by negotiations in July 1993 with Railfreight Distribution to purchase the line. Octel offered a portion of its private railway for the building of a new station at Amlwch. IoAR initially hoped to start passenger services between Amlwch and Llangefni as early as 1994.
  The privatisation of British Rail in the mid-1990s disrupted this process. The post-privatisation owner Railtrack's asking price of £300,000 in 1996 required seeking grants from the European Commission. With no traffic or maintenance, the line started to become overgrown. In the meantime, Sustrans proposed the railway should be converted into a cycle route, similar to the Lôn Eifion cycle route which follows the path of the former Carnarvonshire Railway from Caernarfon to Afon Wen. In 1998–99 surveys of the railway bridges showed their condition to be "better than expected". A petition of 7,000 signatures was presented to Anglesey County Council in January 1999, calling for better cycling facilities on the island, and particularly a cycle path from Amlwch to Gaerwen. Support for the railway option was demonstrated by a charter train named the Lein Amlwch Venturer, hauled by 6024 King Edward I, which ran from Crewe to Gaerwen junction on Saturday 23 January.
  Anglesey County Council was planning to buy the track in support of the railway in 2000, but was later reported as having withdrawn its support for IoAR in May 2001. Five months later Railtrack was placed in administration, and ownership of Britain's railways (including the Amlwch line) was transferred to Network Rail in October 2002.
caption: A spring bank holiday special stands at a temporary station at Amlwch, 1992
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