Kirkby Stephen railway station

Kirkby Stephen Add→{{rail-interchange}}
General information
Location	Eden
Managed by	Northern
Platforms	2
Other information
Station code	KSW
History
Opened	1876

Kirkby Stephen railway station serves the town of Kirkby Stephen in Cumbria, England. It is operated by Northern, which provides all passenger train services. It is 41+1⁄2 miles (67 km) south of Carlisle on the Settle-Carlisle Line.

The station was designed by the Midland Railway company architect John Holloway Sanders.

The station is over a mile from the town (and over 150 feet (46 m) above it) at Midland Hill and was formerly known as Kirkby Stephen West because of the older Kirkby Stephen or Kirkby Stephen East station situated in the town, which was on the North Eastern Railway's Stainmore and Eden Valley lines. Its remote location was necessitated by the Midland Railway's desire to keep gradients on the line to no greater than 1 in 100 for fast running. Had it been located any closer to the town, the resulting climb up to the summit of the line at Ais Gill would have exceeded this limit considerably. The West station was closed (along with all other stations on the line except Settle and Appleby) in May 1970, but it was reopened by British Rail in July 1986.

The station is leased by the Settle and Carlisle Railway Trust, which comprehensively restored it in 2009. The main buildings on platform 1 now incorporate a caretaker's flat, offices and the Midland Room, opened in July 2011, which includes a cafe and exhibition of items related to the Settle and Carlisle railway. Platform 2 (northbound) has a stone shelter. The old goods shed to the south is now in private commercial use, goods facilities having been withdrawn here in 1964.

Step-free access to both platforms is available (ramps to platform 2 from the road below), along with a footbridge. No ticket machine is present, so travelers must buy in advance or from the conductor on the train. Buses to and from the town call close to the station entrance on the A685 road to Kendal.

Services

The station is served by seven trains in each direction on weekdays and Saturdays: northbound to Carlisle and southbound to Leeds. A new early morning Monday to Friday service southbound began in May 2011. The first weekday northbound service now runs through from Leeds, rather than arriving from Carlisle and returning there after a reversal as before. However, all services northbound are currently (July 2016) terminating at either Appleby or Armathwaite, as the line beyond is closed whilst major repair works are carried out on a landslip at Eden Brows (near Cotehill). A replacement bus service is in operation over this section until March 2017.

There are four departures each way on Sundays throughout the year. DalesRail services between Blackpool North/Preston and Carlisle also call at the station on summer Sundays.

External links

• Train times and station information for Kirkby Stephen railway station from National Rail
• Station facilities at Kirkby Stephen

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Garsdale		Northern Settle-Carlisle Line		Appleby