Four weeks, £25 million and two new footbridges: the North Wales line closes in January
What happened
On 22 October 2026 the Welsh Government published a written statement confirming a four-week closure of the North Wales Main Line in the new year. The line will close from 9 January to 6 February 2027. For the first three weeks, the railway will be closed between Chester and Holyhead. That includes the Conwy Valley line and the section from Llandudno Junction to Llandudno. In the fourth week the closure shrinks to Llandudno Junction to Holyhead. Network Rail, which owns and operates the line, is investing more than £25 million. The work includes track renewals, drainage improvements, platform and station improvements, vegetation management, and installing two new footbridges. Rail replacement buses will run throughout. Transport for Wales, Avanti West Coast and Network Rail are developing those services, and they will include quicker limited-stop buses as well as services calling at all stations. Passengers should expect longer journeys. The statement came from Mark Hooper MS, Deputy Minister for Transport.
Why this matters
A four-week closure is a long time, and North Wales is not a place where you can easily go another way by rail. There is one main line along the coast. It also affects more than local journeys. Holyhead is the ferry port for Dublin, so the closure touches Ireland traffic as well as travel within Wales and to and from London and the north west of England. The reason given is straightforward. Network Rail judged the closure necessary for the line's long-term safety, reliability and resilience, and considers it the most efficient and least disruptive way to do the work. That last phrase is worth taking at face value: doing the same work in weekend chunks would spread the disruption over a much longer period and cost more. The timing is deliberate too. January and early February are the quietest weeks of the year on this route. Doing it in August would hit far more people. There is a political thread in the statement as well. It says Welsh Ministers should be part of decisions on major line closures, linking that to the Welsh Government's call for full rail devolution. At present Network Rail answers to the UK government, not to Cardiff.
What the evidence actually says
Three things are worth knowing before you make plans. First, the fourth week is different from the first three. If you are travelling between Chester and Llandudno Junction in the week beginning 30 January 2027, trains are expected to be running again on that stretch, with the closure continuing only west of Llandudno Junction. Check before you assume either way. Second, replacement buses are not a like-for-like substitute. The statement says there will be quicker limited-stop services and all-stations services, and that journeys will take longer. For someone catching a ferry or a connection at Chester or Crewe, that matters more than it sounds. Third, the Conwy Valley line is included. That is the branch running inland from Llandudno Junction towards Betws-y-Coed and Blaenau Ffestiniog. It is easy to overlook because the headline talks about the coast. Network Rail has consulted rail industry partners and the Welsh Government, and has committed to ongoing engagement with stakeholders and passengers. In practice that means the detailed bus timetables will appear closer to the time, usually around six to eight weeks ahead, rather than now.
Practical advice
**Put the dates in your diary now: 9 January to 6 February 2027.** This is the kind of thing people discover at the station. **Check before you book anything in that window,** especially flights, ferries and hospital appointments. National Rail Enquiries and Transport for Wales will carry the detailed arrangements when they are published. **Allow much more time than usual.** If you normally leave an hour's margin for a ferry or a connection, make it considerably more during a bus replacement. **If you have reduced mobility or use a wheelchair,** book assistance in advance. Rail replacement buses are not always as accessible as trains, and operators can arrange accessible transport if they know you are coming. Passenger Assist bookings can be made through your train operator. **If you travel for medical appointments,** tell the hospital when you book. Many trusts will move an appointment if transport is the problem, and some areas have patient transport schemes. **If you order repeat prescriptions by post or collection,** plan around the closure rather than through it. A month is long enough that a routine trip you take for granted may not be straightforward. **Keep an eye out for season ticket arrangements.** Operators usually publish information on refunds or compensation for long closures.
What to know
The North Wales Main Line closes from 9 January to 6 February 2027. For the first three weeks the closure runs from Chester to Holyhead and includes the Conwy Valley line and Llandudno Junction to Llandudno; in the fourth week it covers only Llandudno Junction to Holyhead. Network Rail is spending more than £25 million on track renewals, drainage, platform and station improvements, vegetation management and two new footbridges. Replacement buses will run throughout, including limited-stop and all-stations services, and journeys will take longer. Detailed timetables will be published closer to the time. Sources: Welsh Government, "Written Statement: North Wales Main Line Railway Engineering Works", 22 October 2026, https://www.gov.wales/written-statement-north-wales-main-line-railway-engineering-works; Nation.Cymru, "Welsh ministers should help decide rail closures says transport minister", October 2026, https://nation.cymru/news/welsh-ministers-should-help-decide-rail-closures-says-transport-minister/; National Rail Enquiries, https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/. This article is for general information only. It is not legal, financial or medical advice. For anything about your own health or medicines, speak to a doctor, pharmacist or other qualified healthcare professional.
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