The line was built by the Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway in 1863 and became incorporated in the Cambrian Railways in 1867. Upon the line opening a temporary station was located adjacent to Neptune Road bridge until the present permanent station was completed a few years later.[1] The Welsh romantic poet John Ceiriog Hughes was stationmaster at Tywyn for a brief period in 1870.[2]
In 1922 Cambrian Railways became part of the Great Western Railway and in 1948 following nationalisation operation of the station passed to British Railways Western Region. Until the 1960s there was a summer service between London Paddington and Pwllheli, via Birmingham Snow Hill, Shrewsbury and Machynlleth.
Unlike most stations on the Cambrian Line, Tywyn has retained two platforms and a passing loop. The station however is unstaffed, and the original station buildings remained derelict from the 1980s until the mid-2000s when they were refurbished as offices. In 2013 the building on the up side was in use as a Spiritualist Church.
Facilities
There are no staff at Tywyn, but there are Help Points, announcements and departure boards. There is also a small car park with 20 spaces and a bike rack with six spaces. There are no ticketing facilities either.[3]
Services
As the area was a test bed for the new ERTMS signalling system, services are exclusively operated by Class 158 DMUs; these are the only units operated by Transport for Wales currently equipped for ERTMS operation. On weekdays services are approximately every two hours each way, with most running through to/from Birmingham International via Shrewsbury and Birmingham New Street.[4]