Long Preston railway station

Long Preston railway station serves the village of Long Preston in North Yorkshire, England. The station is 37.5 miles (60 km) north-west of Leeds on the Leeds to Morecambe Line and is managed by Northern who provide all passenger train services.

Long Preston
A steam train taking on water at Long Preston railway station in 2005
Location
Place	Long Preston
Local authority	Craven
Coordinates	54.017°N 2.256°W / 54.017; -2.256
Grid reference	SD833579
Operations
Station code	LPR
Managed by	Northern Trains
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	14,328
2015/16	13,918
2016/17	13,070
2017/18	11,830
2018/19	11,670
History
1849	Opened
National Rail – UK railway stations
Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Long Preston from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.

It is the last station before the Settle-Carlisle Line and the Leeds to Morecambe Line diverge at Settle Junction to the north of the village. Facilities at the station are somewhat basic - the original wooden station buildings were demolished in the early 1970s and there are now just simple waiting shelters on each platform. There is an operational Help Point to obtain TimeTable Information or emergency assistance. There’s is also a small car park with room for a few cars.

It is unstaffed, but has had a ticket machine installed in 2019 to allow travellers to buy tickets before travelling. There is level access to the southbound platform only - the opposite side has a ramp, but this is quite steep and is not recommended for use by disabled travellers.[1] Train running information is provided by telephone, digital information screens (also installed in 2019) and timetable posters.

The station was opened on 30 July 1849 by the "little" North Western Railway, later taken over by the Midland Railway.[2]

Services

Generally, there is a train at least every two hours from Long Preston southbound towards Leeds (thirteen departures per day in total) and northbound. All services from Leeds to Lancaster (eight per day) stop there, along with four Leeds to Carlisle trains. There is also one train each day that runs north only as far as Ribblehead, whilst five Lancaster trains continue to Morecambe and the last southbound train terminates at Skipton.[3]

For many years on Sundays, only Leeds - Morecambe trains stopped at Long Preston. However, since 2009, certain Carlisle trains have also served the station on Sundays. As a result, there are now five trains to Lancaster/Morecambe and two to Carlisle northbound and nine trains to Leeds southbound (the two morning/early afternoon services on the Morecambe line that formerly ran in summer only up until 2010 now run throughout the year). The station also now has an afternoon departure that runs through to Sheffield and Nottingham and a single service to Heysham Port in the late morning.

Notes

1. Long Preston station facilities National Rail Enquiries; Retrieved 29 November 2016
2. Bairstow, p. 96
3. GB eNRT December 2019 Edition, Table 42 (Network Rail)

References

• Bairstow, M. (2000), The 'Little' North Western Railway, Martin Bairstow, Leeds, ISBN 1-871944-21-X

External links

• Train times and station information for Long Preston railway station from National Rail

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Hellifield		Northern Trains Leeds to Morecambe Line		Giggleswick
Hellifield		Northern Trains Settle-Carlisle Line		Settle
	Historical railways
Hellifield		Midland Railway "Little" North Western Railway		Settle Junction