Arnside railway station

Arnside is a railway station on the Furness Line, which runs between Barrow-in-Furness and Lancaster. The station, situated 12+14 miles (20 km) north-west of Lancaster, serves the village of Arnside in Cumbria. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.

Arnside
National Rail
General information
LocationArnside, Cumbria
England
Coordinates54°12′09″N 2°49′41″W / 54.2026010°N 2.8280559°W / 54.2026010; -2.8280559
Grid referenceSD461788
Owned byNetwork Rail
Managed byNorthern Trains
Platforms2
Tracks2
Other information
Station codeARN
ClassificationDfT category F2
History
Original companyUlverstone and Lancaster Railway
Pre-groupingFurness Railway
Post-groupingLondon, Midland and Scottish Railway
British Rail (London Midland Region)
Key dates
1 August 1858Opened
Passengers
2018/19Decrease 96,348
2019/20Increase 0.115 million
2020/21Decrease 28,764
2021/22Increase 0.100 million
2022/23Decrease 91,330
Location
Arnside is located in the former South Lakeland district
Arnside
Arnside
Location in South Lakeland, Cumbria
Arnside is located in Cumbria
Arnside
Arnside
Location in Cumbria, England
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

A short distance west of the station, the railway crosses the River Kent on an impressive 50-span viaduct that is some 1,558-foot (475 m) long.[1] The historic structure underwent major repairs and refurbishment, including the complete replacement of the rail deck in 2011. Similar work was carried out on the nearby Leven Estuary viaduct in the spring of 2006.

History edit

Opened on 1 August 1858 by the Ulverstone and Lancaster Railway (a company backed by, and later taken over by the Furness Railway) (FR), the station became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway during the Grouping of 1923. The station then passed on to the London Midland Region of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948.

When Sectorisation was introduced in the 1980s, the station was served by Regional Railways until the privatisation of British Rail.

A short branch line to Sandside and Hincaster Junction on the West Coast Main Line once diverged from the main line here, which carried a Grange-over-Sands to Kendal local service from its opening in 1876 until 1942.[2] In July 1922, this FR service ran five times per day in each direction on weekdays. The branch was also used by mineral trains from County Durham to the Barrow-in-Furness area, allowing them to avoid having to reverse direction at the busy junction at Carnforth. Local freight traffic continued as far as Sandside until final closure of the line in 1972. The disused platform face and trackbed is still visible behind the southbound platform.

Facilities edit

Whilst one building remains at the station, it is not in railway use. Shelters are provided for passengers on both platforms, but the only link between them is via a footbridge with stairs (no step-free access).[3] Digital information screens, customer help points, timetable posters and automated announcements provide train running details. As the station is unstaffed, tickets can only be bought from the ticket machine or on the train.

Services edit

Northern Trains
Route 6
Cumbrian Coast, Furness
& Windermere lines
 
Carlisle
 
Dalston
 
Wigton
 
Aspatria
 
Maryport
 
Flimby
 
Workington
 
Harrington
 
Parton
 
Whitehaven
 
Corkickle
 
St Bees
 
Nethertown
 
Braystones
 
Sellafield
 
Seascale
 
Drigg
 
Ravenglass for Eskdale
 
Bootle
 
Silecroft
 
Millom
 
Green Road
 
Foxfield
 
Kirkby-in-Furness
 
Askam
 
Barrow-in-Furness
 
Roose
 
Dalton
 
Ulverston
 
Cark & Cartmel
 
Kents Bank
 
Grange-over-Sands
 
Arnside
 
Silverdale
 
Carnforth
 
 
Windermere
 
 
Staveley
 
 
Burneside
 
 
Kendal
 
 
Oxenholme Lake District
 
 
 
Lancaster
 
Preston
 
Chorley
 
Bolton
 
Deansgate
 
Manchester Oxford Road
 
Manchester Piccadilly
 
Manchester Airport
Braystones & Nethertown
are request stops.

It is served by stopping trains between Lancaster and Barrow, with some continuing to Sellafield or Carlisle via the Cumbrian Coast Line in the northbound direction and by some through services southbound to Preston and Manchester Airport. There is one train per hour in each direction on weekdays, although the varying nature of the stopping patterns of each service means the timetable is irregular. On Sundays there is a train every hour each way (up from a two-hourly frequency since May 2018).[4]

References edit

  1. ^ Visit Cumbria - Arnside station Archived July 20, 2008, at the Wayback Machine Accessed 28 October 2008
  2. ^ Marshall, J (1981) Forgotten Railways North-West England, David & Charles (Publishers) Ltd, ISBN 0-7153-8003-6; p.104
  3. ^ Arnside Station Details Northern Station Pages; Retrieved 25 November 2016
  4. ^ Table 100 National Rail timetable, May 2023

Sources edit

External links edit

Preceding station   National Rail Following station
Grange-over-Sands   Northern Trains
Cumbria–Manchester Airport
  Carnforth
    Silverdale
Grange-over-Sands   Northern Trains
Furness Line
  Silverdale
Disused railways
Grange-over-Sands   Furness Railway
Hincaster Branch
  Sandside