"We welcomed more than 130,000 visitors last year, including many people from around the world, so its nice to have made this new link with Africa, helping improve facilities for school pupils there."
Vince Hughes, Snowdon Mountain Railway
Wales’ iconic mountain railway has revealed an unusual African link as a new season on Snowdon’s slopes gets underway.
During the winter, Snowdon Mountain Railway spent £300,000 on a complete renewal of the toilet facilities at its Llanberis station.
Alongside this, the railway has ‘Twinned’ the new facilities with toilets built for a school in Malawi. Toilet Twinning is a charity initiative which helps improve sanitation in countries where governments fail to provide adequate provision.
The new Llanberis amenities are now open, coinciding with the start of the railway’s 2019 season, with diesel services currently travelling as far as Clogwyn Station, 779m above sea level.
The Summit Station and Hafod Eryri visitor centre open later in the spring, at which time steam services will also recommence as snow is cleared from the track and maintenance work is completed.
Vince Hughes, commercial manager of Snowdon Mountain Railway, said:
“It’s exciting to be gearing up for another season on Snowdon, in what is the railway’s 123rd year.
“We welcomed more than 130,000 visitors last year, including many people from around the world, so it’s nice to have made this new link with Africa, helping improve facilities for school pupils there.
“Our own toilet re-build offers more space and higher quality facilities, alongside a significant improvement in waste management.
“We also have some interesting plans for the summer which we’ll be revealing soon, so watch this space.
“In the meantime, we look forward to offering passengers spectacular views and a wonderful ‘bucket list’ experience when they visit us this season.”
For more information about Snowdon Mountain Railway and to book tickets for the 2019 season visit: www.snowdonrailway.co.uk or follow on Facebook and Twitter: @SnowdonMR
