Changes to Barmouth rail replacement service

Transport for Wales (TfW) has announced changes to its rail replacement service in Barmouth due to road closures beginning in early November.

Church Street in Barmouth is set to close for eight weeks from Monday 6 November to allow Welsh Water to complete repairs to a damaged sewer.

The road currently forms part of the route for the TfW rail replacement service which is in place between Machynlleth and Pwllheli while Network Rail carries out work on Barmouth Bridge.

The main diversion through the town will be via the Quay but due to a low bridge the larger coaches currently operating the rail replacement service are unable to use this route.

Changes to the rail replacement service are:

• The semi express services between Machynlleth and Barmouth will be operated by alternative vehicle types which can follow the diversion via the Quay. This trip will include an additional 10 minutes running time to account for the slower running of this type of vehicle.
• Semi express Services between Barmouth and Pwllheli will continue to be operated by coaches.
• There will be a 10-minute bus-to-bus connection planned at Barmouth with a bus coordinator present to ensure these connections are maintained.
• The arrival and departure times at Machynlleth will remain the same and times amended forward/back from there as this is where train connections have been planned.

Ben Clifford, TfW road transport manager said: “We’ve been working closely with the local authority and our bus providers to try and minimise any disruption to our rail replacement service when the road closure is in place.

“We’re confident we have a robust plan in place and we will have extra staff on the route to help passengers using our services during this time.

“Due to the changes we would encourage passengers to check for the latest travelling information before making their journeys.”