Dent is a railway station on the Settle and Carlisle Line, which runs between Carlisle and Leeds via Settle. The station, situated 58 miles 29 chains (93.9 km) north-west of Leeds, serves the villages of Cowgill and Dent, South Lakeland in Cumbria, England. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains. It is the highest operational main line station in England.
Dent ![]() | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | |||||||||||
General information | |||||||||||
Location | Cowgill, South Lakeland England | ||||||||||
Coordinates | 54°16′57″N 2°21′49″W | ||||||||||
Grid reference | SD764874 | ||||||||||
Owned by | Network Rail | ||||||||||
Managed by | Northern Trains | ||||||||||
Platforms | 2 | ||||||||||
Tracks | 2 | ||||||||||
Other information | |||||||||||
Station code | DNT | ||||||||||
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 | |||||||||||
2016/17 | ![]() | ||||||||||
2017/18 | ![]() | ||||||||||
2018/19 | ![]() | ||||||||||
2019/20 | ![]() | ||||||||||
2020/21 | ![]() | ||||||||||
Services | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Listed Building – Grade II | |||||||||||
Feature | Original Midland Railway station building | ||||||||||
Designated | 18 October 1999 | ||||||||||
Reference no. | 1383851[1] | ||||||||||
Location | |||||||||||
![]() ![]() Dent Location in South Lakeland, Cumbria Show map of South Lakeland![]() ![]() Dent Location in Cumbria, England Show map of Cumbria | |||||||||||
Notes | |||||||||||
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road |
Dent railway station is on the historic Settle-Carlisle Line, with services to Leeds and Carlisle. Dent village is approximately 4.8 miles (8 km) by road to the west, and 400 ft (120 m) below the height of the station, with Cowgill being the nearest small village, located around half a mile away.
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.
There are stone-built passenger waiting rooms provided on both the northbound and southbound platforms. Access to the southbound platform is, somewhat unusually, 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). National Rail recommends that disabled passengers not use the southbound platform without assistance.[2] Like most stations on the line, there are no ticket machines available as yet (though Northern have stated they plan to provide one here) and so travellers must buy on the train. Train running information can be obtained by telephones on the platforms or from information posters. New digital information screens have also been installed here, though as of November 2019 these have yet to be commissioned.
Old wooden snow fences are still in place on the eastern side of the station (see image). Dent Station buildings are now privately owned and are available to rent as holiday cottage accommodation.[3]
Northern Trains Route 7 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bentham Line and Settle and Carlisle Line | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The station was designed by the Midland Railway company architect John Holloway Sanders[4] and opened in 1877[5] and originally closed in May 1970 but was reopened by British Rail in 1986 following a campaign to maintain regular stopping services along the line.
During the 1970s the station was rented out to Barden school in Burnley as an outdoor pursuits centre, providing accommodation for up to 15 pupils whilst they carried out various courses ranging from pot holing, caving, to geology and map reading.[citation needed]
On weekdays there were formerly five trains in each direction, with six each way on Saturdays and three each way on Sundays.[10] In addition, DalesRail services operate on summer Sundays from Blackpool North and Preston to Carlisle, with one journey in each direction. Northbound trains terminated at either Appleby or Armathwaite until the end of March 2017, as the Armathwaite to Carlisle section was closed whilst the damaged embankment at Eden Brows was repaired. Services through to the terminus at Carlisle resumed on 31 March 2017.
Since the May 2018 timetable change, the service has increased to eight northbound and six southbound calls on weekdays and six each way (including the DalesRail service) on Sundays.[11]
Preceding station | ![]() |
Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Ribblehead | Northern Trains Settle and Carlisle Line |
Garsdale | ||
Historical railways | ||||
Ribblehead | Midland Railway Settle and Carlisle Line |
Garsdale |
Railway stations in Cumbria | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|