A public inquiry is considering plans to rebuild a disused railway line through the heart of the mountainous Snowdonia region in North Wales.

Environmentalists, farmers and ramblers say the £15m scheme will ruin one of the wildest parts of Britain and mean the loss of a popular path.

The track of the 22-mile Welsh Highland Railway between Portmadoc and Dinas, near Caernarfon, was ripped up to provide raw materials for World War II after the line closed.

But the route can still be followed on foot 60 years after passenger and freight services ended.

Critics say line will ruin one of Britain's most unspoilt areas

A three-mile stretch of the narrow-gauge railway in the shadow of Mount Snowdon has recently been rebuilt and now there are plans to extend it.

The Ffestiniog Railway Company, which already runs one line, wants to reopen the Welsh Highland Railway as a tourist attraction and help reduce traffic congestion in the Snowdonia National Park.

The firm's spokesman, Tony Smare, says the public will be proud of the railway when it reopens, which could be as early as 2005.

"Steam trains, diesels and advanced technologies, such as flywheels, will be used on the line," he said.

Three-mile stretch of Welsh Highland Rialway has already reopened

"All are friendly to the environment and will help protect Snowdonia from the ravages of the motor car."

But Snowdonia National Park Authority has criticised the scheme, which has attracted a £4m grant from the Millennium Fund.

It says rebuilding the line will cause noise and visual intrusion and damage the park's natural beauty.

Ramblers fear they may lose a popular pathway

Farmers, who use the land on which the railway ran for grazing, also oppose the scheme.

Emyr Hughes, from the National Farmers' Union, said: "Since the line closed all the fences have come down and now it's open land. Farmers will not thank Ffestiniog if they reopen it."

The public inquiry is expected to last four weeks.

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