Operation
The railway is a single track line with passing loops at Dinas, Waunfawr, Rhyd Ddu, Beddgelert and Pont Croesor halt. There is also a loop at Hafod y Llyn, which is normally locked out of use as a stabling point for engineering trains.
As with any single track railway, there are strict rules managing the movement of trains to prevent more than one entering a section. The line is managed from a single 'Control' office at Porthmadog Harbour Station, which also performs the same task for the Ffestiniog Railway. Control is responsible for the safe and efficient operation of trains, logs train movements on a train graph and acts as a single point of contact in emergencies. A system of tokens is used to control train access to single line sections.
Communication between train crew and Control always occurs using a landline at stations. There is no in-cab radio system, and current regulations forbid use of such whilst in motion. As a backup system only, the guard carries a company mobile telephone for use in an emergency. This is not a primary system as cellular coverage is intermittent over the length of the line. Her Majesty's Railway Inspectorate (HMRI), the organisation responsible for safety on British railways, insists on landlines as the main form of safety critical communication.
Read more about this topic: Welsh Highland Railway
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