Tal-y-Cafn railway station

Tal-y-Cafn railway station is located at Tal-y-Cafn, Wales, on the Conwy Valley Line from Llandudno Junction to Blaenau Ffestiniog.

Tal-y-Cafn
Welsh: Tal-y-cafn
Tal-y-Cafn station (2015)
Location
Place	Tal-y-Cafn
Local authority	Conwy
Coordinates	53.228°N 3.818°W / 53.228; -3.818
Grid reference	SH787717
Operations
Station code	TLC
Managed by	Transport for Wales
Number of platforms	1
DfT category	F2
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2014/15	2,102
2015/16	1,358
2016/17	1,328
2017/18	1,148
2018/19	1,362
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Tal-y-Cafn from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.

History

Until the early 1960s the station had a passing loop and two platforms,[1] was known as Tal-y-Cafn and Eglwysbach and publicised as the station for Bodnant Garden, which is in the parish of Eglwysbach and a lengthy up-hill walk.

The station was renamed from Tal-y-Cafn & Eglwysbach to Tal-y-Cafn on 6 May 1974,[2] although a name board on the disused platform still refers to Eglwysbach.

Facilities

Former signal control area (May 2016)

The station buildings, mostly in private occupation, are well maintained. The station is officially an unstaffed halt (tickets must be purchased on the train or prior to travel), but the level crossing at the south end is still manned (due to its location next to the river bridge) and retains its manually-operated metal gates; the crossing keeper works out of an office in the main building. Up until 1993, the crossing also had protecting signals worked from a ground frame on the platform; these were replaced by stop and fixed distant boards after the gates were run through by a train.[3]

Digital CIS displays, a pay phone and timetable poster boards are provided to offer train running information. The station has step-free access to the platform from the station entrance, but is not wheelchair accessible.[4]

Services

Six trains call in each direction Mon-Sat, with four departures each way on Sundays.[5] Following serious flood damage to the line in multiple locations caused by Storm Gareth in March 2019, services were suspended and replaced by buses until repair work was carried out.[6] The line reopened in July 2019 after completion of the remedial works.

Further storm damage to the line in the area (this time from Storm Ciara) in February 2020 has once again seen services suspended, with buses replacing trains until September 2020.

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Glan Conwy		Transport for Wales Conwy Valley Line		Dolgarrog

References

1. "Signalling over Wales" Roberts, A www.6g.nwrail.org.uk; Retrieved 31 May 2017
2. Slater, J.N., ed. (July 1974). "Notes and News: Stations renamed by LMR". Railway Magazine. London: IPC Transport Press Ltd. 120 (879): 363. ISSN 0033-8923.
3. Tal-y-Cafn ground frame (1991) Roberts, Alan Geograph.org.uk; Retrieved 31 May 2017
4. Tal-y-Cafn station facilities National Rail Enquiries
5. Table 102 National Rail timetable, December 2019
6. Flood damaged Conwy Valley line could be closed for months itv.com news article 25 March 2019; Retrieved 26 March 2019

Further reading

• Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2010). Bala to Llandudno. West Sussex: Middleton Press. figs. 94-98. ISBN 9781906008871. OCLC 668198724.

External links

• Conwy Valley Railway

• Train times and station information for Tal-y-Cafn railway station from National Rail