THE
NORTH WALES COAST RAILWAY: TRAVEL INFORMATION
Rheilffordd
arfordir gogledd Cymru
Updated July 2008
A website run by National
Rail offers on-line
'station-boards'
for all stations which includes all Train Company services. We have a table
of handy links for North Wales and related stations.
The Train
Running page, 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
Networlk Rail website. But bear in mind that these do not incorporate any late or temporary
changes. Here are the May - December 2008 versions:
Table 75 Cambrian
lines and Chester - Wrexham - Shrewsbury - Birmingham
Table 81 North
Wales Coast
Table 102 Conwy
Valley
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 most cases use of trains is only
allowed
after 09:00 on Mondays - Fridays, although travel at any time is
allowed
at weekends. The following are available according to information
available
in early 2008:
Freedom of Wales flexipass 4 days in 8
North
and Mid Wales flexirover 4 in 8
Cambrian
coast day ranger
Cambrian
coast day ranger family
Cambrian
coast evening ranger family
North
& Mid Wales day ranger £22 for
2008 (Child £11, Holders of Senior, Young Persons and Disabled
Railcards 34% discount off adult fare.)
Tocyn
Taith - various zones of bus and rail, see
their publicity, and the information (including a clear
zone map) on the National
Rail site
Conwy
Valley evening ranger - £5 (This covers travel after 18:00
between Bangor, Prestatyn, Llandudno and Blaenau Ffestiniog.)
More details of these, and all other such tickets in the UK, can be
found on the National
Rail website, and also in the form of a PDF
file of section G of the fares manual.
Tickets are not valid before 0915 on Monday to Friday except (for no
apparent reason) that the 4 in 8 North & Mid Wales ticket is valid
after 09:00. Is this possibly a mistake?. They are valid on all trains
at weekend and bank holidays. The all-zones Tocyn Taith still costs
£21 and both include travel on both the Ffestiniog & Welsh
Highland (Caernarfon) lines. However there are no railcard
discounts with the Tocyn Taith and you cannot travel to Crewe.
For a tourist guide around the North Wales circuit: The Cambrian
Rail Cruise