Dent railway station
Dent  | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 The station seen in 2016, looking north from the Barrow crossing | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Cowgill, Westmorland and Furness England | ||||
| Coordinates | 54°16′57″N 2°21′49″W / 54.2825669°N 2.3635911°W | ||||
| Owner | Network Rail | ||||
| Manager | Northern Trains | ||||
| Platforms | 2 | ||||
| Tracks | 2 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | DNT[1] | ||||
| Classification | DfT category F2 | ||||
| History | |||||
Original company | Midland Railway | ||||
| Pre-grouping | Midland Railway | ||||
| Post-grouping | London, Midland and Scottish Railway; British Rail (London Midland Region) | ||||
| Key dates | |||||
| 6 August 1877 | Opened | ||||
| 4 May 1970 | Closed | ||||
| 14 July 1986 | Reopened | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2020/21 |  1,786 | ||||
| 2021/22 |  8,902 | ||||
| 2022/23 | 9,236 | ||||
| 2023/24 | 9,152 | ||||
| 2024/25 | 9,598 | ||||
Listed Building – Grade II | |||||
| Feature | Original Midland Railway station building | ||||
| Designated | 18 October 1999 | ||||
| Reference no. | 1383851[2] | ||||
| |||||
| |||||
Dent railway station serves the villages of Cowgill and Dent, in Cumbria, England and is on the Settle and Carlisle Line, which runs between Carlisle and Leeds via Settle. The station is sited 253 miles 32 chains (408 km) from St Pancras, measured via Keighley and the former line through Cudworth.[3] It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains, who operate all services. It is the highest operational main line station in England.
History
The station was designed by the Midland Railway's company architect John Holloway Sanders[4] and opened in 1877.[5] It was closed in May 1970, but was reopened by British Rail in 1986 following a campaign to maintain regular stopping services along the line.[6]
During the 1970s, the station was rented out to Barden School in Burnley as an outdoor pursuits centre, providing accommodation for pupils whilst they participated in courses including pot holing, caving, geology and map reading.[7]
Location
Dent village lies approximately 4.8 miles (8 km) by road to the west and 400 ft (120 m) below the height of the station. Cowgill is the nearest small village, located around half a mile away but at the foot of a steep (maximum 20% or 1 in 5) spiral access road.[8]
At an altitude of 1,150 ft (350 m) and situated between Blea Moor Tunnel and Rise Hill Tunnel immediately to its north, Dent is the highest operational railway station on the National Rail network in England.[9]
Facilities
There are stone-built passenger waiting rooms provided on both the northbound and southbound platforms. Access to the southbound platform is by an unguarded barrow crossing at the south end of the station for foot passengers to use; a 30 mph permanent speed restriction for non-stop trains through the station is enforced for this reason.[10] National Rail recommends that disabled passengers should not use the southbound platform without assistance.[11] Like most stations on the line, there are no ticket machines available as yet; travellers must buy one on the train or in advance. Train running information can be obtained by telephone on the platforms, from timetable posters or the customer information screens installed on either platform.[12]
Old wooden snow fences are still in place on the eastern side of the station. The station buildings are now privately owned and are available to rent as holiday cottage accommodation.[13]
Passenger volume
| 2004–05 | 2005–06 | 2006–07 | 2007–08 | 2008–09 | 2009–10 | 2010–11 | 2011–12 | 2012–13 | 2013–14 | 2014–15 | 2015–16 | 2016–17 | 2017–18 | 2018–19 | 2019–20 | 2020–21 | 2021–22 | 2022–23 | 2023–24 | 2024–25 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entries and exits | 8,181 | 7,171 | 7,328 | 7,087 | 8,218 | 8,724 | 10,558 | 10,852 | 10,440 | 9,742 | 9,054 | 8,484 | 7,248 | 7,988 | 7,894 | 8,126 | 1,786 | 8,902 | 9,236 | 9,152 | 9,598 |
The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April.
Services
As of the May 2026 timetable, the service consists of eight northbound trains and five or six southbound trains on weekdays and Saturdays (the other southbound trains do not stop), with six northbound and five southbound on Sundays.[15]
Between February 2016 and March 2017, northbound trains terminated at Appleby or Armathwaite (with a bus link to Carlisle) due to repair works on the damaged embankment at Eden Brows.[16] Services through to Carlisle resumed on 31 March 2017 upon reopening of the affected section to traffic.[17]
| Preceding station | National Rail |
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ribblehead | Northern Trains Settle and Carlisle Line |
Garsdale | ||
| Historical railways | ||||
| Ribblehead | Midland Railway Settle and Carlisle Line |
Garsdale | ||
Community rail
The station, as with all others along the Settle-Carlisle line, is part of the Settle & Carlisle Railway Trust, a Community Rail scheme.[18]
References
- ↑ "Railway Codes". railwaycodes.org.uk. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- ↑ Historic England, "The old station at Dent Railway Station (1383851)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 6 January 2017
- ↑ Brailsford, Martyn, ed. (2022). Railway Track Diagrams; 4: Midlands & North West (5th ed.). Frome: TRACKmaps. p. 36. ISBN 978 1999627157.
- ↑ "Notes by the Way". Derbyshire Times and Chesterfield Herald. British Newspaper Archive. 1 November 1884. Retrieved 12 July 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ↑ Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 78. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.
- ↑ Bairstow, Martin (1994). The Leeds, Settle & Carlisle Railway; the Midland Route to Scotland. Halifax: Bairstow. p. 70. ISBN 1-871944-09-0.
- ↑ Carey, John. "Dent Station – a Conservation Project" (PDF). dentstation.co.uk. p. 6. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
- ↑ Anderson, V R; Fox, G K (1986). Stations & structures of the Settle & Carlisle Railway. Poole: Oxford Pub. plate 65. ISBN 0-86093-360-1.
- ↑ Bairstow, Martin (1994). The Leeds, Settle & Carlisle Railway; the Midland Route to Scotland. Halifax: Bairstow. p. 9. ISBN 1-871944-09-0.
- ↑ Caton 2018, p. 70.
- ↑ "Dent station information". National Rail Enquiries. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
- ↑ "Dent Train Station | Trains to Dent & Times | Northern". www.northernrailway.co.uk. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
- ↑ "Dent station on the Settle to Carlisle Railway". Retrieved 5 February 2008.
- ↑ "Estimates of station usage | ORR Data Portal". dataportal.orr.gov.uk. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
- ↑ Table 35 National Rail timetable, May 2023
- ↑ "Landslip-hit Carlisle-to-Settle rail line set for March reopening". BBC News. 13 December 2016. Retrieved 19 July 2026.
- ↑ Milne, Andy (29 May 2017). "Business as usual on the Settle and Carlisle line". Rail Engineer. Retrieved 19 July 2026.
- ↑ "Settle and Carlisle Railway Trust – Visit and Stay at our Stations – Caring for Historic Railway Buildings along the Line – Stay at a station". settlecarlisletrust.org.uk. Retrieved 19 July 2026.
Bibliography
- Caton, Peter (2018). Remote Stations. Leicestershire: Matador. ISBN 978-1-78901-408-2.
External links
Northern Trains Route 7 |
|---|
Settle & Carlisle & Bentham lines |
- Train times and station information for Dent railway station from National Rail
- Beeching closures in England
- DfT Category F2 stations
- Former Midland Railway stations
- Railway stations in Cumbria
- Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1877
- Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1970
- Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1986
- Railway stations served by Northern
- Reopened railway stations in Great Britain
- John Holloway Sanders railway stations
- Grade II listed buildings in Cumbria
- Dent, Cumbria