Barmouth with the main Mid Wales route, while the Heart of Wales line, cutting down from Shrewsbury through to Swansea, was spared the axe simply because of the number of marginal constituencies it crossed.

Closing it, it was said, would be too politically damaging.

And so Wales was left with a rail system that forced passengers to travel hugely circuitous routes to get between major towns and cities.

The result? A nation where north and south felt increasingly disconnected, as the rail lines which allowed for these crucial connections disappeared, disincentivising trade and collaboration between towns and cities. The retention of routes that flowed west-east, along with the poverty of north-south road links, made it easier for those in the north to look to Liverpool and Manchester, pushed those in midLlyn Peninsula, passing through Penygroes, Nantlle and Bryncir on its way from Caernarfon to Afon Wen, where it connected with the existing Cambrian Coast line to take you onto Pwllheli. The alternative Llanberis branch was scrapped in the 1930s, while Lord Beeching brought an end to the Caernarfon-Afon Wen line in December 1964.

If you fancy testing the bike v train challenge between these two points, you'll probably find yourself riding along Lôn Eifion, a national cycle route which follows the route along much of the old track bed. Google estimates the journey at a leisurely three hours, which is half the time it takes on the main line train alternative, which stops no fewer than 43 times on a journey that traverses Machynlleth, Welshpool, Shrewsbury, Wrexham, Chester, Rhyl