Cambrian Line
Encyclopedia
The Cambrian Line is a railway from Shrewsbury
(in Shropshire
, England
) to Welshpool
, Aberystwyth
and Pwllheli
. The railway runs first through the central part of Wales
and then along the coast of Cardigan Bay
.
The railway is scenic, with parts travelling through the Cambrian Mountains
or along the Cambrian Coast
. This latter section travels over the Barmouth Bridge
, which crosses the River Mawddach
.
, to serve either Aberystwyth, or Pwllheli via the Cambrian Coast Line. The stations on these routes are shown diagrammatically on the route diagram.
These lines were constructed between 1855 and 1869. From Buttington Junction west became part of the Cambrian Railways
in 1864.
The Cambrian Railways became part of the Great Western Railway
and on nationalisation these lines were operated first by the Western Region of British Railways
and later by the London Midland Region. In a later reorganisation, passenger services were operated by the Regional Railways
Central sector. Following privatisation in the mid 1990s, passenger services were first operated by Central Trains
, then by Wales & Borders Trains
from 2001 and, since late 2003, by Arriva Trains Wales
.
The last scheduled freight over the line was in 1993. In 2003, freight multiple unit trials were undertaken for a period of five weeks, transporting timber from Aberystwyth, via Wrexham General railway station
to the Kronospan
woodchip factory in Chirk
. The trial used a pair of British Rail MPV
units sandwiched around a rake of seven open-sided timber wagons.
, the number of stations on the lines was heavily rationalised in the 1960s onwards. The stations closed include the following:
Shrewsbury to Dovey Junction:
Dovey Junction to Aberystwyth:
Dovey Junction to Pwllheli:
, Minister of Housing and Local Government, to this fact. As a result, because of the political consequences thought to be attendant on railway closures, though scheduled for such treatment it has continued to survive.
In Arriva Trains Wales' performance statistics the Cambrian Line is routinely the worst-performing service group.
on the Cambrian Line. The ERTMS will allow headways between trains using the same track to be reduced without impacting on safety, allowing a more frequent service. Should the pilot scheme be successful, the system is expected to be rolled out on other key rural routes within the UK.
The upgrade is expected to cost £59 million and was to be completed by December 2008, but the system was only released, for limited testing between Pwllheli and Harlech, in February 2010. Three signallers from the Machynlleth signalling centre and seven drivers have been trained to operate the new equipment. Ansaldo STS
are the principal contractors for the upgrade with Thales as sub-contractors for the Telecomms.
Ansaldo is installing ERTMS In Cab ETCS (European Train Control System) level 2, class 1, specification V2.3.0. As the name suggests, the driver receives the instructions for movement on the cab display. This level does not require conventional fixed signals - all the existing signals and RETB boards will be removed. Additionally, the line side speed signs will be redundant - drivers are given the appropriate maximum speed on the cab display.
The Cambrian ERTMS – Pwllheli
to Harlech
rehearsal commenced on 13 February 2010 and successfully finished on 18 February 2010. The driver familiarisation and practical handling stage of the rehearsal has provided an excellent opportunity to monitor the use of GSM-R
voice in operation on this route.
The first train departed Pwllheli at 0853hrs in ERTMS Level 2 Operation with GSM-R voice being used as the only means of communication between the driver and the signaller.
Network Rail spokeswoman Mavis Choong was unable to give a figure of how much the scheme has cost, but said £400m was being spent installing it across the UK network. She claimed the 14 month delay was caused by the system "being new".
In 2007, a new flat crossing, named "Cae Pawb Crossing", was installed at the intersection of the Cambrian Line and the Welsh Highland Railway
.
In October 2010, following completion of testing, the ERTMS system finally entered service between Pwllheli and Harlech and the previous Radio Electronic Token Block system removed. On 18 March 2011, the final commissioning phase for the ERTMS system across the whole Cambrian route commenced including layout alterations at Welshpool and Talerddig which would facilitate a desired increase in service frequency. At 07:20 on the morning of Saturday 26 March 2011, the New ERTMS signalling system was placed into operational use across the Cambrian Line controlled from Machynlleth, some 40 minutes ahead of the planned schedule. Two days of driver familiarisation then followed with passenger operation commencing on the morning of Monday 28 March 2011. An initial assessment by the operating company was not favourable: problems with the design and installation of the in-cab displays were identified and infrastructure failures included the control system becoming "confused" by common train movements, such as changes of speed or shunting into the depot.
, the other to/from Aberystwyth
. The new signalling system and other infrastructure changes will allow the frequency of trains to/from Aberystwyth to double.
and make an additional call at Smethwick Galton Bridge railway station
.
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
(in Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
) to Welshpool
Welshpool
Welshpool is a town in Powys, Wales, or ancient county Montgomeryshire, from the Wales-England border. The town is low-lying on the River Severn; the Welsh language name Y Trallwng literally meaning 'the marshy or sinking land'...
, Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth is a historic market town, administrative centre and holiday resort within Ceredigion, Wales. Often colloquially known as Aber, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Ystwyth and Rheidol....
and Pwllheli
Pwllheli
Pwllheli is a community and the main market town of the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd, north-western Wales. It has a population of 3,861, of which a large proportion, 81 per cent, are Welsh speaking. Pwllheli is the place where Plaid Cymru was founded. It is the birthplace of Albert Evans-Jones -...
. The railway runs first through the central part of Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and then along the coast of Cardigan Bay
Cardigan Bay
Cardigan Bay is a large inlet of the Irish Sea, indenting the west coast of Wales between Bardsey Island, Gwynedd in the north, and Strumble Head, Pembrokeshire at its southern end. It is the largest bay in Wales....
.
The railway is scenic, with parts travelling through the Cambrian Mountains
Cambrian Mountains
The Cambrian Mountains are a series of mountain ranges in Wales, reaching from, and including, the South Wales mountains of the Brecon Beacons, north Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion, the Black Mountains of eastern Wales, to Snowdonia in North Wales...
or along the Cambrian Coast
Cardigan Bay
Cardigan Bay is a large inlet of the Irish Sea, indenting the west coast of Wales between Bardsey Island, Gwynedd in the north, and Strumble Head, Pembrokeshire at its southern end. It is the largest bay in Wales....
. This latter section travels over the Barmouth Bridge
Barmouth Bridge
The Barmouth Bridge is a single-track largely wooden railway viaduct that crosses the estuary of the Afon Mawddach river on the coast of Cardigan Bay between Morfa Mawddach and Barmouth in Gwynedd, Wales...
, which crosses the River Mawddach
River Mawddach
The River Mawddach is a river in North Wales which has its source in a wide area north of Dduallt in Snowdonia. The river is much branched and many of the significant tributaries are of a similar size to the main river...
.
Route
The line diverges at Dovey Junction, just after MachynllethMachynlleth
Machynlleth is a market town in Powys, Wales. It is in the Dyfi Valley at the intersection of the A487 and the A489 roads.Machynlleth was the seat of Owain Glyndŵr's Welsh Parliament in 1404, and as such claims to be the "ancient capital of Wales". However, it has never held any official...
, to serve either Aberystwyth, or Pwllheli via the Cambrian Coast Line. The stations on these routes are shown diagrammatically on the route diagram.
History
The line is made up of:- Shrewsbury and Welshpool RailwayShrewsbury and Welshpool RailwayThe Shrewsbury and Welshpool Railway was a standard gauge railway which connected the towns of Shrewsbury and Welshpool. It opened in 1861 and the majority of the railway continues in use.- History :...
between Shrewsbury and Buttington - Oswestry and Newtown Railway between Buttington Junction and Newtown
- Llanidloes and Newtown RailwayLlanidloes and Newtown RailwayThe Llanidloes and Newtown Railway was an early Welsh railway. It was absorbed by the Cambrian Railway. A section of the line - from Newtown to where the later Cambrian Line diverges to Machynlleth, at the former Moat Lane Junction, remains in use...
between Newtown and Moat Lane Junction - Newtown and Machynlleth Railway between Moat Lane Junction and Machynlleth
- Aberystwyth and Welsh Coast RailwayAberystwyth and Welsh Coast RailwayThe Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway was a standard gauge railway built in 1863 connecting major towns on the Welsh coast.- History :...
between Machynlleth and Aberystwyth/Pwllheli
These lines were constructed between 1855 and 1869. From Buttington Junction west became part of the Cambrian Railways
Cambrian Railways
Cambrian Railways owned of track over a large area of mid-Wales. The system was an amalgamation of a number of railways that were incorporated in 1864, 1865 and 1904...
in 1864.
The Cambrian Railways became part of the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
and on nationalisation these lines were operated first by the Western Region of British Railways
Western Region of British Railways
The Western Region was a region of British Railways from 1948. The region ceased to be an operating unit in its own right in the 1980s and was wound up at the end of 1992...
and later by the London Midland Region. In a later reorganisation, passenger services were operated by the Regional Railways
Regional Railways
Regional Railways was one of the three passenger sectors of British Rail created in 1982 that existed until 1996, 3 years after privatisation. The sector was originally called Provincial....
Central sector. Following privatisation in the mid 1990s, passenger services were first operated by Central Trains
Central Trains
Central Trains was one of the original 25 train operating companies to emerge from the break-up of British Rail between 1994 and 1997. The company operated local, urban and secondary express services across central England and Mid Wales.-Overview:...
, then by Wales & Borders Trains
Wales and Borders
Wales and Borders is the name of a franchise of train services covering Wales, the Welsh Marches and bordering counties of England.-History:The franchise was initially formed from part of the former Wales and West franchise and the Cardiff Railway Company , together with the lines from Shrewsbury...
from 2001 and, since late 2003, by Arriva Trains Wales
Arriva Trains Wales
Arriva Trains Wales is a train operating company, owned by Arriva, that operates urban and inter urban passenger services in Wales and the Welsh Marches...
.
The last scheduled freight over the line was in 1993. In 2003, freight multiple unit trials were undertaken for a period of five weeks, transporting timber from Aberystwyth, via Wrexham General railway station
Wrexham General railway station
Wrexham General railway station is a main line railway station and the main railway station serving Wrexham, north-east Wales. It is currently operated by Arriva Trains Wales, but services are also provided by Virgin Trains who operate a service to London Euston...
to the Kronospan
Kronospan
Kronospan is an international company that manufactures and distributes wood-based panels which are used in many everyday products such as flooring, furniture and timber-framed houses....
woodchip factory in Chirk
Chirk
Chirk is a small town and local government community, the lowest tier of local government, part of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It has a population of over 4,000....
. The trial used a pair of British Rail MPV
British Rail MPV
The Multiple-purpose Vehicle or MPV is a purpose-built departmental derivative of a diesel multiple unit. Twenty-five two-car units were ordered by Railtrack to enable it to replace its varied collection of ageing departmental vehicles, many of which were converted from redundant passenger...
units sandwiched around a rake of seven open-sided timber wagons.
Closed stations
Although the line survived the Beeching AxeBeeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
, the number of stations on the lines was heavily rationalised in the 1960s onwards. The stations closed include the following:
Shrewsbury to Dovey Junction:
- HanwoodHanwoodHanwood is a large village in Shropshire, England.It is located SW of Shrewsbury town centre, on the A488 road. The A5 is only a mile away. The Cambrian Line runs through the village but there is no longer a station here...
- YockletonYockletonYockleton is a village in Shropshire, England.It is west of the county town of Shrewsbury, just off the B4386 road to Montgomery and near to the River Severn....
- Westbury (Salop)
- Breidden
- ButtingtonButtingtonButtington is a village in Powys, Wales. The Montgomery Canal passes through the village.-The Battle of Buttington:This battle took place in 893 AD between a combined Welsh and Mercian army, which defeated Danish invaders who had marched from Essex....
(connection with the Cambrian RailwaysCambrian RailwaysCambrian Railways owned of track over a large area of mid-Wales. The system was an amalgamation of a number of railways that were incorporated in 1864, 1865 and 1904...
line to Oswestry) - FordenFordenForden is a parish consisting of several settlements near Welshpool in Powys, Wales, historically in the county of Montgomeryshire....
- MontgomeryMontgomery, PowysThe historic county town of Montgomery in Powys, Wales lies just three miles from the English border in the Welsh Marches. It is best known for its castle, Montgomery Castle, begun in 1223, and its parish church, begun in 1227. However its origins go back much further, as seen by the Celtic Iron...
- AbermuleAbermuleAbermule is a village in Powys, mid Wales, located on the River Severn. The Montgomeryshire canal runs through Abermule, the canal is very close to the river.- Amenities :...
- Scafell Halt
- Moat Lane JunctionMoat Lane JunctionMoat Lane Junction was a railway junction in Montgomeryshire near to the village of Caersws in mid-Wales. It was the junction where the Newtown and Machynlleth railway opened in 1863 diverged from the Llanidloes and Newtown Railway which opened four years earlier...
(connection with Mid Wales Railway to Cardiff) - PontdolgochPontdolgochPontdolgoch is a very small village in Powys, Wales.Pontdolgoch is located within the valley of the River Carno, some two miles northwest of Caersws, on the A470 road where, as its name suggests, the A470 bridges the river....
- CarnoCarnoCarno is a village in Powys, Mid Wales. It is located on the main A470 road between Llanbrynmair & Caersws.The local railway station, on the Cambrian Line, closed as part of the Beeching closures in the 1965. An ongoing campaign started in August 2009 for its reopening, with the Welsh Assembly...
- TalerddigTalerddigTalerddig is a village in Powys, Mid Wales located on the main A470 road between Llanbrynmair and Carno. It is part of Llanbrynmair community and Anglican parish....
- LlanbrynmairLlanbrynmairLlanbrynmair is a village and community in Powys, Mid Wales on the A470 road between Caersws and Machynlleth. Llanbrynmair, in area, is the second largest in Powys. In 2005, it had a population of 958.-Description:...
- Commins Coch Halt
- Cemmes Road (connection with the branch line to Dinas MawddwyDinas MawddwyDinas Mawddwy is a village in Gwynedd, north Wales, just to the side of the A470 so that most visitors pass the village by. Its population is roughly 600. The village marks the junction of the unclassified road to Llanuwchllyn which climbs up through the mountains to cross Bwlch y Groes at its...
)
Dovey Junction to Aberystwyth:
- GlandyfiGlandyfiGlandyfi is a small hamlet in the county of Ceredigion in Wales on the A487 trunk road from Machynlleth to Aberystwyth....
- YnyslasYnyslasYnyslas is a small Welsh village about 1.5 miles north of Borth and 8 miles north of Aberystwyth in the county of Ceredigion. It is sandwiched between a long sandy beach in Cardigan Bay and the beach in the Dyfi Estuary...
- Llandre
- Bow StreetBow Street, CeredigionBow Street is a large village in the Tirymynach district of Ceredigion, Wales, approximately north-east of Aberystwyth. As well as Bow Street itself, it is now often considered to include the neighbouring smaller village of Pen-y-garn and the hamlet of Rhydypennau...
Dovey Junction to Pwllheli:
- GogarthGogarth railway stationGogarth railway station served a sparsely populated area on the north shore of the Dyfi estuary in the Welsh county of Merionethshire.-History:...
- AbertafolAbertafol railway stationAbertafol railway station was a halt located on the north shore of the Dyfi estuary in the old Welsh county of Merionethshire .-History:...
- LlangelyninLlangelynin railway stationLlangelynin station was a single-platform halt on the Cambrian Line which served the small village of Llangelynin in Gwynedd. It was opened in 1930 by the Great Western Railway and was known as Llangelynin Halt....
- Black Rock HaltBlack Rock Halt railway stationBlack Rock Halt was a railway station located in Gwynedd between Criccieth and Porthmadog. It was the last unstaffed halt before Pwllheli on the route of the former Aberystwyth and Welsh Coast Railway, until British Rail reduced Penychain and Abererch to unstaffed status, and served the popular...
- Afon WenAfon Wen railway stationAfon Wen was a railway station located in Afon Wen, Gwynedd.The station formed a junction between the Aberystwyth and Welsh Coast Railway and the Carnarvonshire Railway.- History :...
(connection with the Afon Wen - Caernarfon lineCarnarvonshire RailwayThe Carnarvonshire Railway was a railway connecting Caernarvon railway station with Afon Wen.-History:...
) - The RuabonRuabon Barmouth LineThe Ruabon to Barmouth Line was a standard gauge branch line of the Great Western Railway across the north of Wales which connected Ruabon, in the east, with Barmouth on the west coast.-Connections:...
bound platforms at Barmouth JunctionMorfa Mawddach railway stationMorfa Mawddach railway station, formerly Barmouth Junction, is in Gwynedd, Wales, on the Cambrian Coast Railway between and at its junction with the Dolgelley branch of the Aberystwyth and Welsh Coast Railway part of the Ruabon to Barmouth Line which closed in 1965.- Background :North of Morfa...
were also closed in 1965 and the station renamed Morfa Mawddach.
Politics
The line acquired the name "the line of the seven marginals", owing to the fact it ran in the 1960s through seven Labour marginal constituencies, when a civil servant brought attention of his minister Richard CrossmanRichard Crossman
Richard Howard Stafford Crossman OBE was a British author and Labour Party politician who was a Cabinet Minister under Harold Wilson, and was the editor of the New Statesman. A prominent socialist intellectual, he became one of the Labour Party's leading Zionists and anti-communists...
, Minister of Housing and Local Government, to this fact. As a result, because of the political consequences thought to be attendant on railway closures, though scheduled for such treatment it has continued to survive.
Performance
With long sections of single line, limited passing points and tightly-diagrammed rolling stock, short turnround time at Aberystwyth, minor disruptions on the Cambrian Line quickly lead to compound delays and partial cancellations. While the coast line is generally a good performer, services between Aberystwyth and Birmingham New Street have deteriorated hugely since the early 2000s and are now the least punctual in Britain. http://www.sarpa.info/ Late running services will often terminate short at Wolverhampton to make up lost time.In Arriva Trains Wales' performance statistics the Cambrian Line is routinely the worst-performing service group.
| Service Group | Punctuality 16 Sep - 13 Oct 2007 | Punctuality 12 months to 13 Oct 2007 |
|---|---|---|
| Cambrian | 90.2% | 88.2% |
| Marches Welsh Marches Line The Welsh Marches Line , known historically as the North and West Route, is the railway line running from Newport in south-east Wales to Shrewsbury in the West Midlands region of England by way of Abergavenny, Hereford and Craven Arms, and thence to Crewe via Whitchurch... |
95.2% | 93.7% |
| Wales-England | 97.1% | 95.8% |
| South, West, Central Wales | 95.5% | 94.0% |
| Valley Lines Valley Lines Valleys & Cardiff Local Routes is the busy network of passenger suburban railway services radiating from Cardiff, Wales. It includes lines within the city itself, the Vale of Glamorgan and the South Wales Valleys.... |
98.1% | 95.1% |
| North Wales Inter Urban North Wales Coast Line The North Wales Coast Line is the railway line from Crewe to Holyhead. Virgin Trains consider their services along it to be a spur of the West Coast Main Line. The first section from Crewe to Chester was built by the Chester and Crewe Railway and absorbed by the Grand Junction Railway shortly... |
98.1% | 97.7% |
| North Wales Rural | 91.8% | 92.3% |
Line upgrade
In October 2006, it was announced that Network Rail would pilot the European Rail Traffic Management SystemEuropean Rail Traffic Management System
The European Rail Traffic Management System is an initiative backed by the European Union to enhance cross-border interoperability and signalling procurement by creating a single Europe-wide standard for train control and command systems....
on the Cambrian Line. The ERTMS will allow headways between trains using the same track to be reduced without impacting on safety, allowing a more frequent service. Should the pilot scheme be successful, the system is expected to be rolled out on other key rural routes within the UK.
The upgrade is expected to cost £59 million and was to be completed by December 2008, but the system was only released, for limited testing between Pwllheli and Harlech, in February 2010. Three signallers from the Machynlleth signalling centre and seven drivers have been trained to operate the new equipment. Ansaldo STS
Ansaldo STS
Ansaldo STS S.p.A. is a multinational technology company which produces signalling and automation systems for use by rail and rapid transit operators. The firm also acts as lead contractor and turnkey provider on new rail developments...
are the principal contractors for the upgrade with Thales as sub-contractors for the Telecomms.
Ansaldo is installing ERTMS In Cab ETCS (European Train Control System) level 2, class 1, specification V2.3.0. As the name suggests, the driver receives the instructions for movement on the cab display. This level does not require conventional fixed signals - all the existing signals and RETB boards will be removed. Additionally, the line side speed signs will be redundant - drivers are given the appropriate maximum speed on the cab display.
The Cambrian ERTMS – Pwllheli
Pwllheli
Pwllheli is a community and the main market town of the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd, north-western Wales. It has a population of 3,861, of which a large proportion, 81 per cent, are Welsh speaking. Pwllheli is the place where Plaid Cymru was founded. It is the birthplace of Albert Evans-Jones -...
to Harlech
Harlech
Harlech is a town and seaside resort in Gwynedd, within the historical boundaries of Merionethshire in northwest Wales. Lying on Tremadog Bay and within the Snowdonia National Park, it has a population of 1,952, of whom 59% speak Welsh...
rehearsal commenced on 13 February 2010 and successfully finished on 18 February 2010. The driver familiarisation and practical handling stage of the rehearsal has provided an excellent opportunity to monitor the use of GSM-R
GSM-R
GSM-R, Global System for Mobile Communications - Railway or GSM-Railway is an international wireless communications standard for railway communication and applications. A sub-system of European Rail Traffic Management System , it is used for communication between train and railway regulation...
voice in operation on this route.
The first train departed Pwllheli at 0853hrs in ERTMS Level 2 Operation with GSM-R voice being used as the only means of communication between the driver and the signaller.
Network Rail spokeswoman Mavis Choong was unable to give a figure of how much the scheme has cost, but said £400m was being spent installing it across the UK network. She claimed the 14 month delay was caused by the system "being new".
In 2007, a new flat crossing, named "Cae Pawb Crossing", was installed at the intersection of the Cambrian Line and the Welsh Highland Railway
Welsh Highland Railway
The Welsh Highland Railway is a long restored narrow gauge heritage railway in North Wales, operating from Caernarfon to Porthmadog, and passing through a number of popular tourist destinations including Beddgelert and the Aberglaslyn Pass. At Porthmadog it connects with the Ffestiniog Railway...
.
In October 2010, following completion of testing, the ERTMS system finally entered service between Pwllheli and Harlech and the previous Radio Electronic Token Block system removed. On 18 March 2011, the final commissioning phase for the ERTMS system across the whole Cambrian route commenced including layout alterations at Welshpool and Talerddig which would facilitate a desired increase in service frequency. At 07:20 on the morning of Saturday 26 March 2011, the New ERTMS signalling system was placed into operational use across the Cambrian Line controlled from Machynlleth, some 40 minutes ahead of the planned schedule. Two days of driver familiarisation then followed with passenger operation commencing on the morning of Monday 28 March 2011. An initial assessment by the operating company was not favourable: problems with the design and installation of the in-cab displays were identified and infrastructure failures included the control system becoming "confused" by common train movements, such as changes of speed or shunting into the depot.
Service pattern
Presently, trains between Birmingham and the Cambrian Line run at an approximate two hour frequency usually consisting of two two-car units which divide/combine at Machynlleth; one portion continuing to/from PwllheliPwllheli railway station
Pwllheli railway station is a railway station serving the small coastal town of Pwllheli on the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd, Wales. It is the terminus of the Cambrian Coast Railway.- History :...
, the other to/from Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth railway station
Aberystwyth railway station is a railway station serving the seaside and university town of Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Wales. It is served by passenger trains operated by Arriva Trains Wales, being situated at the terminus of the Cambrian Line and also by the narrow-gauge Vale of Rheidol Railway.-...
. The new signalling system and other infrastructure changes will allow the frequency of trains to/from Aberystwyth to double.
Birmingham International
After December 2008, most trains are now extended to Birmingham International railway stationBirmingham International railway station
Birmingham International railway station is located in the borough of Solihull, just east of the city of Birmingham in England.The station is on the Rugby-Birmingham-Stafford Line 14 km east of Birmingham New Street and serves both Birmingham International Airport and the National Exhibition...
and make an additional call at Smethwick Galton Bridge railway station
Smethwick Galton Bridge railway station
Smethwick Galton Bridge is a railway station in Smethwick, West Midlands, England.The station is situated where two lines cross at different levels: the line from Birmingham Snow Hill to Stourbridge Junction crosses over the Stour Valley Line by means of a bridge. There are four platforms, two on...
.