Dalston railway station (Cumbria)

Dalston railway station serves the village of Dalston in Cumbria, England. The railway station is on the northern part of the scenic Cumbrian Coast Line 3.7 miles (6 km) south west of Carlisle.

Not to be confused with Dalton railway station.

Dalston
Location
Place	Dalston
Local authority	City of Carlisle
Coordinates	54.846°N 2.989°W / 54.846; -2.989
Grid reference	NY366506
Operations
Station code	DLS
Managed by	Northern
Number of platforms	2
DfT category	F2
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2014/15	23,206
2015/16	20,262
2016/17	22,180
2017/18	21,556
2018/19	20,122
History
Key dates	Opened 1844 (1844)
National Rail – UK railway stations
Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Dalston from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.

The station is owned by Network Rail and is operated by Northern who provide all passenger train services. Like most of the stations on this line is unstaffed, so passengers need to purchase tickets on the train.[1] Step-free access is available to both platforms and train running information is provided by telephone and timetable posters. Digital information screens and a ticket machine are also being installed by Northern in 2019 as part of a rolling station improvement plan in the area.

History

It was opened in 1844[2] by the Maryport and Carlisle Railway, with trains running through to Maryport from the beginning of the following year. It became an unstaffed halt in 1967, but has kept its period stone waiting shelter on the northbound platform, lattice footbridge[3] and main buildings on the opposite side (the latter are in private commercial use). It is also one of the last active freight locations on this route - an oil terminal on the eastern side of the line just south of the station receives regular trainloads of fuel oil from Grangemouth Refinery in Scotland. Two crossovers operated from ground frames located at the station are used for shunting purposes when trains require access to the terminal sidings.

Services

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

There is generally an hourly service northbound to Carlisle and southbound to Whitehaven with most trains going onward to Barrow-in-Furness (no late evening service operates south of Whitehaven).[4]

Train operator Northern introduced a regular Sunday through service to Barrow via the coast at the May 2018 timetable change - the first such service south of Whitehaven for more than 40 years. Services run approximately hourly from late morning until early evening, with later trains terminating at Whitehaven. This represents a major upgrade on the former infrequent service of four per day each way to/from Whitehaven only that previously operated.

Notes

1. Dalston (Cumbria) station facilities National Rail Enquiries; Retrieved 5 December 2016
2. Dalston Station on Geograph.org Thompson, Nigel; Retrieved 2013-10-17
3. Old Cumbria Gazetteer - Dalston Station Retrieved 2013-10-17
4. GB eNRT December 2019 Edition, Table 100

External links

• Train times and station information for Dalston railway station (Cumbria) from National Rail
• Railscot - Photographs of Dalston

Preceding station		National Rail		Following station
Carlisle		Northern Cumbrian Coast Line		Wigton
Historical railways
Cummersdale Line open, station closed		Maryport and Carlisle Railway		Curthwaite Line open, station closed