Work on a £3.5 million railway viaduct repairs project in Carmarthenshire is now complete.

Remediation work was carried out on the Grade II-listed Cynghordy Railway Viaduct in Llandovery as part of Network Rail's Railway Upgrade Plan.

The project, which was delivered in partnership with contractors Dyer and Butler and Tony Gee Engineers, involved refurbishing the 150 year-old structure's pillars and arches.

The 100ft high viaduct required extensive scaffolding to complete the works, including 86,000 metres of tube and 62,010 metres of scaffold board to cover the 850ft long viaduct.

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Network Rail liaised closely with Carmarthenshire County Council and CADW to ensure the planned restoration work would protect, and be sympathetic to the original Cynghordy brick. For the strengthening work, a stainless steel bar was bonded into cut slots at pre-determined levels in the masonry. This bar, delicately covered in mortar, is not visible, yet will give a greater structural integrity for decades to come. Each pillar was also jet-cleaned to rejuvenate the brickwork.

Richard Compton, works delivery manager at Network Rail, said: "We would like to thank the local community for their support of the essential restoration work on this impressive structure.

"This was a challenging but rewarding project for all involved. We understand the importance of the continued survival and service of this spectacular piece of Victorian engineering, not only to the local community but also to the wider community in Wales and that is why it forms part of the Railway Upgrade Plan."

(LM/MH)