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Updated 31 May 2010
A service run by National
Rail offers on-line 'station-boards' for all stations which
include all Train Company services. You can send the name of a station
as a mobile phone text message to 84950
to receive a list of the next planned and actual departures from that
station; there is a charge of 25p.
The Service Disruptions page, also by National
Rail, supplements this by giving a regularly-updated summary of
any problems and delays which are occurring on the national network.
TIMETABLES
For the times of trains, you can use the National Rail on-line
journey
planner.
The German Rail timetable website is also useful,
especially as it can produce a very handy list of departures for any
station, including British ones.
The Arriva Trains Wales Website also includes alterations to timetables
for engineering works
The tables from the National
Rail
Timetable
book can be downloaded in PDF format from the
Network Rail website. We understand that from May 2010 these will be
updated for any corrections of changes. Here are the 23 May 2010
- December 2010 versions:
Table 75 Cambrian
lines
and
Chester
- Wrexham - Shrewsbury - Birmingham
Table 81 North
Wales
Coast
to
Chester, South Wales and Manchester
Table 102 Conwy
Valley
Table 101 Wrexham - Bidston
TICKETS AND FARES
We are often asked the fares to and from North Wales Coast
stations: on British railways this is a complicated and difficult
subject, as many fares depend on which trains you are using and how far
in advance you can reserve your seat. The system is also riddled with
anomalies: various online booking sites exist (including Arriva
Trains) which will tell you the fares for the journeys you require,
and also allow you to order a ticket.
ROVERS AND RANGERS
The North Wales area is very well provided with Rover and
Ranger tickets, which thanks to enlightened local authorities are in
most cases valid on buses as well as trains, although in some cases use
of trains is only allowed after 09:00 or 09:15 on Mondays - Fridays,
although travel at any time is allowed at weekends.
It should be noted that
there is a great deal of out-of-date information on the Internet about
these tickets, even on some 'official' websites.
The Arriva Trains Wales website has
a page listing the tickets that are available. They include
various day and evening rangers for the Cambrian lines. Some tickets,
notably the Conwy Valley evening ranger, have vanished from the list,
and others have had their availability restricted, so check before
travelling.
North
Wales
Rover
This is a new day pass for 2009 that replaces the previous North and
Mid Wales Day Ranger and the Tocyn Taith. It costs £7, £12
or £22 depending on the number of Zones (see
map) - the all-zones (£22) is the only one that allows travel
on the Gobowen to Machynlleth section. It is also valid on buses, and
trains all day, with no morning peak restriction. However, it is no
longer valid on the Ffestiniog or Welsh Highland Railways, or on the
direct Crewe - Shrewsbury line. To use the Ffestiniog Railway as part
of a circular journey, there is the Ffestiniog
Round
Robin ticket, which has options to travel from Birmingham,
Manchester or Liverpool, or start your journey from within the circuit.
For a tourist guide around the North Wales circuit: The Cambrian
Rail Cruise
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