Cambrian Coast line post 13 September 2026

[chrisp37]

I am looking at a journey from Barmouth to Euston on the weekend of 19/20 September 2026 and can't see any direct services to Birmingham International (or Shrewsbury for that matter); they all seem to require a change at Machynlleth and then another change at Shrewsbury (for Birmingham), albeit the journey time is roughly the same as when the direct services run. Is that usual for this time of year, or down to a timetable change going forward?

 

[Benjwri]

It looks like there is some kind of amendment until at least December which means Cambrian Coast trains are terminating at Shrewsbury, I'm not sure why there hasn't been an update on the engineering page about it. You won't actually have to change at Machynlleth, someone seems to have forgotten to add the association there which tells journey planners the trains join, rather than just terminating.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I seem to recall reading that that split is to allow 197s to be used on more North Wales Coast trains. Might be wrong though.

 

[NeakPed]

Split timetable due to leaf fall/adhesion period ?

 

[Harpo]

It won’t make much difference in reality. Changing trains en route at Shrewsbury or Mach on advertised through trains is a regular part of Cambrian journeys. It’s also the TfW way of life at half a dozen other locations too.

 

[Bletchleyite]

It won’t make much difference in reality. Changing trains en route at Shrewsbury or Mach on advertised through trains is a regular part of Cambrian journeys. It’s also the TfW way of life at half a dozen other locations too.

It was once in my experience the case that odds on a train advertised as going through would not, and a train not advertised as going through would! It's a bit more consistent now, but it very much seemed that Mach and anything it operated was very old-railway and it did what it wanted regardless of what Cardiff said. Mach itself still seems to have a bit of an "Oh Dr Beeching" feel about it in some ways with quite a lot of staff usually knocking about due to the depot being there, though long may Beeching and his descendents stay away from it!

Set swaps at Shrewsbury were very common where a non-ETCS set (e.g. a 150) ended up on a Cambrian diagram, it's easily done as the timetable works fine with it.

 

[mickey]

It was once in my experience the case that odds on a train advertised as going through would not, and a train not advertised as going through would! It's a bit more consistent now, but it very much seemed that Mach and anything it operated was very old-railway and it did what it wanted regardless of what Cardiff said.

Very much still like that now! But at least the staff tend to be both friendly and helpful, and don’t let anyone get too lost or left behind.

 

[chrisp37]

Thanks, all. I was just a bit concerned when I saw that a journey that on the prior weekend could be done with one change suddenly required (at least) three changes. But it sounds as though in practice it shouldn't be a problem.