Tygwyn railway station shocking change

[tfw756rider]

Hi,

I sometimes travel on the Cambrian Coast line but have never used (or paid attention to in real life) Tygwyn railway station.

I was recently looking at a lot of Welsh railway station Wikipedia articles, and while I was looking at the Tygwyn railway station article, I saw that it has photos of the station in both 2023 and 2013.

Granted, the 2013 one has a lot of the Arriva colour in it, but it shows the station "as it was", with the old shelter and railings, and with "station adoption" touches like the decorations on the shelter, and the plants.

By comparison, the 2023 one is such a difference I was actually shocked. I'm guessing the station fell out of "adoption", but for some reason I don't know (but would love to know), it's like the whole thing has been ripped out (sometime in the early 2020s?) and replaced with the standard Transport for Wales (TfW) shelter and very plain-looking railings - it's like it's lost its individuality and niceness and has become a boring clone station.

I couldn't even find any mention of this work on the internet for some reason.

Maybe it's something to do with resolving the issue (that I can't remember what it was) between this station and the 197s, that meant that TfW wanted to get this station closed, but they since found a way to keep it open apparently. But surely, that, at most, would've involved platform alterations, not ripping out and replacing the shelter and railings?

I'm worried that TfW are going to keep doing this to other small stations on the line...

File:Tygwyn railway station 2013.jpeg - Wikimedia Commons

commons.m.wikimedia.org

File:TygywnRailwayStation2023.jpg - Wikimedia Commons

commons.m.wikimedia.org

Photos by Timothy Titus (2013) and Kylxa (2023) on Wikimedia Commons, with links to the photos' pages above.

 

[stadler]

Hi,

I sometimes travel on the Cambrian Coast line but have never used (or paid attention to in real life) Tygwyn railway station.

I was recently looking at a lot of Welsh railway station Wikipedia articles, and while I was looking at the Tygwyn railway station article, I saw that it has photos of the station in both 2023 and 2013.

Granted, the 2013 one has a lot of the Arriva colour in it, but it shows the station "as it was", with the old shelter and railings, and with "station adoption" touches like the decorations on the shelter, and the plants.

By comparison, the 2023 one is such a difference I was actually shocked. I'm guessing the station fell out of "adoption", but for some reason I don't know (but would love to know), it's like the whole thing has been ripped out (sometime in the early 2020s?) and replaced with the standard Transport for Wales (TfW) shelter and very plain-looking railings - it's like it's lost its individuality and niceness and has become a boring clone station.

I couldn't even find any mention of this work on the internet for some reason.

Maybe it's something to do with resolving the issue (that I can't remember what it was) between this station and the 197s, that meant that TfW wanted to get this station closed, but they since found a way to keep it open apparently. But surely, that, at most, would've involved platform alterations, not ripping out and replacing the shelter and railings?

I'm worried that TfW are going to keep doing this to other small stations on the line...

File:Tygwyn railway station 2013.jpeg - Wikimedia Commons

commons.m.wikimedia.org

File:TygywnRailwayStation2023.jpg - Wikimedia Commons

commons.m.wikimedia.org

Photos by Timothy Titus (2013) and Kylxa (2023) on Wikimedia Commons, with links to the photos' pages above.

It looks like they installed tactile paving and widened the platform. I imagine they will gradually do this to all stations. I know they want tactile paving everywhere for accessibility reasons. Also the previous platform was rather narrow leaving very little room for deployment of a wheelchair ramp.

 

[tfw756rider]

It looks like they installed tactile paving and widened the platform. I imagine they will gradually do this to all stations. I know they want tactile paving everywhere for accessibility reasons. Also the previous platform was rather narrow leaving very little room for deployment of a wheelchair ramp.

Yeah, I since noticed that, and good point. It's good from an accessibility point of view, but I think it is a shame in a way that the "individuality" and "character" of these stations is being lost, but at the same time I do understand that sometimes things have just got to move on.

However, I get that they want to put those modern shelters in, but I think they could've chosen less ugly railings / fencing.

 

[Class 466]

A quick search on Flickr shows that the platform was completely rebuilt from being a wooden structure to something more durable - everything would've had to go for that

 

[tfw756rider]

A quick search on Flickr shows that the platform was completely rebuilt from being a wooden structure to something more durable - everything would've had to go for that

Many thanks - that rings a bell actually.

I'm fine with the whole situation now that I understand it (I'm no longer even going to bother contacting TfW about it); I can just get overwhelmed by such things until they're explained.

Many thanks again to you and the others for the replies

 

[Bletchleyite]

A quick search on Flickr shows that the platform was completely rebuilt from being a wooden structure to something more durable - everything would've had to go for that

I seem to recall the wooden platform had become dangerous. At least it wasn't closed!

 

[simonw]

Hi,

I sometimes travel on the Cambrian Coast line but have never used (or paid attention to in real life) Tygwyn railway station.

I was recently looking at a lot of Welsh railway station Wikipedia articles, and while I was looking at the Tygwyn railway station article, I saw that it has photos of the station in both 2023 and 2013.

Granted, the 2013 one has a lot of the Arriva colour in it, but it shows the station "as it was", with the old shelter and railings, and with "station adoption" touches like the decorations on the shelter, and the plants.

By comparison, the 2023 one is such a difference I was actually shocked. I'm guessing the station fell out of "adoption", but for some reason I don't know (but would love to know), it's like the whole thing has been ripped out (sometime in the early 2020s?) and replaced with the standard Transport for Wales (TfW) shelter and very plain-looking railings - it's like it's lost its individuality and niceness and has become a boring clone station.

I couldn't even find any mention of this work on the internet for some reason.

Maybe it's something to do with resolving the issue (that I can't remember what it was) between this station and the 197s, that meant that TfW wanted to get this station closed, but they since found a way to keep it open apparently. But surely, that, at most, would've involved platform alterations, not ripping out and replacing the shelter and railings?

I'm worried that TfW are going to keep doing this to other small stations on the line...

File:Tygwyn railway station 2013.jpeg - Wikimedia Commons

commons.m.wikimedia.org

File:TygywnRailwayStation2023.jpg - Wikimedia Commons

commons.m.wikimedia.org

Photos by Timothy Titus (2013) and Kylxa (2023) on Wikimedia Commons, with links to the photos' pages above.

Looks much nicer now, IMHO

 

[John R]

Many thanks - that rings a bell actually.

I'm fine with the whole situation now that I understand it (I'm no longer even going to bother contacting TfW about it); I can just get overwhelmed by such things until they're explained.

Many thanks again to you and the others for the replies

Why would you ever considered bothering to contact TfW about a station that had some work done in the past that you’ve only just noticed from an online picture as you have never used it?

 

[tfw756rider]

I seem to recall the wooden platform had become dangerous

Fair enough.

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Looks much nicer now, IMHO

In what way?

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Why would you ever considered bothering to contact TfW about a station that had some work done in the past that you’ve only just noticed from an online picture as you have never used it?

Because I wasn't expecting to get such good explanations and reasoning in here.

As for "in the past", it wasn't done that long ago (only a few years ago).

I did explain that while I've never used the station, I do sometimes use the line.

Anyway, I now consider this discussion over, as I've had sufficient responses. Just waiting for @simonw's response to my question in post #9.

 

[John R]

Because I wasn't expecting to get such good explanations and reasoning in here.

That wasn’t my point. Why bother an organisation about something that doesn’t affect you in the slightest.

 

[simonw]

Fair enough.

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In what way?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 18 Jun 2025 ==


Because I wasn't expecting to get such good explanations and reasoning in here.

As for "in the past", it wasn't done that long ago (only a few years ago).

I did explain that while I've never used the station, I do sometimes use the line.

Anyway, I now consider this discussion over, as I've had sufficient responses. Just waiting for @simonw's response to my question in post #9.

It looks neater, tidier and better laid out and more accessible. Ymmv

 

[Ladder23]

quite a sad comparison, I’m in favour of the once was.

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quite a sad comparison, I’m in favour of the once was.

 

[WirralLine]

Ty Croes (Chester bound platform) received similar treatment in the last year or so too, certainly ruined the charm of the station, but with the old platform being extremely low it did really need raising.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Ty Croes (Chester bound platform) received similar treatment in the last year or so too, certainly ruined the charm of the station, but with the old platform being extremely low it did really need raising.

Dolgarrog is also like that, but that's because it basically wasn't there any more after a flood - at least a concrete and metal affair might stay there for more than one season!

It looks professional and tidy, would be enhanced by some plants if someone adopted it.

 

[tfw756rider]

That wasn’t my point. Why bother an organisation about something that doesn’t affect you in the slightest.

I wouldn't have been "bothering" them, how much it "affects" me is up to me, and I see no reason to carry on this discussion so let's end it here, thanks.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 18 Jun 2025 ==

It looks neater, tidier and better laid out and more accessible. Ymmv

Yes it does, and I respect your opinion. Personally though, I think that in some other ways, it's not even as good, let alone better, but again (ugly fencing aside), I now understand the reasoning behind it (thanks to the helpful replies in this thread), and therefore it's no longer bugging me.

 

[Y Ddraig Coch]

Dolgarrog is also like that, but that's because it basically wasn't there any more after a flood - at least a concrete and metal affair might stay there for more than one season!

It looks professional and tidy, would be enhanced by some plants if someone adopted it.

Sadly nobody lives near it , the village is the other side of the river and its next to a main road with no dwellings. Unlikely to get adopted.

 

[tfw756rider]

quite a sad comparison, I’m in favour of the once was.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 18 Jun 2025 ==

quite a sad comparison, I’m in favour of the once was.

Yeah, you "get" it then. But as has now been explained, things have to move on - accessibility, durability etc. - although I think it could've been executed better (that fencing...) it now makes a lot more sense to me than when I was initially shocked.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 18 Jun 2025 ==

Ty Croes (Chester bound platform) received similar treatment in the last year or so too, certainly ruined the charm of the station, but with the old platform being extremely low it did really need raising.

Thanks for letting me know - not an area I'm familiar with, but I still appreciate you letting me know, and yeah, fair enough.

I initially thought the "197-friendly-modified" platform at Ferryside was a bit much, with all that black fencing that... protects the lower parts of the lamp posts? but you get used to these things.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 18 Jun 2025 ==

Dolgarrog is also like that, but that's because it basically wasn't there any more after a flood - at least a concrete and metal affair might stay there for more than one season!

It looks professional and tidy, would be enhanced by some plants if someone adopted it.

Yeah, totally understandable!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 18 Jun 2025 ==

Sadly nobody lives near it , the village is the other side of the river and its next to a main road with no dwellings. Unlikely to get adopted.

Yeah, makes sense.

Thanks again everyone (yes, everyone ) for your replies