THE NORTH WALES COAST RAILWAY: TRAVEL INFORMATION

Rheilffordd arfordir gogledd Cymru 

North Wales Coast Railway main page


Updated July 2008

TIMETABLES - TICKETS - ROVERS AND RANGERS

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

North Wales Coast Railway main page