Gargrave railway station

Gargrave railway station serves the village of Gargrave in North Yorkshire, England. It is 30 miles (48 km) north-west of Leeds on the Leeds to Morecambe Line operated by Northern Trains who also manage the station.

Gargrave
Location	Gargrave, Craven England
Coordinates	53.9783°N 2.1050°W
Grid reference	SD932535
Managed by	Northern Trains
Platforms	2
Other information
Station code	GGV
Classification	DfT category F2
History
Opened	30 July 1849
Key dates
1849	Opened
Passengers
2015/16	26,570
2016/17	27,856
2017/18	29,898
2018/19	30,462
2019/20	33,820
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

The station was opened on 30 July 1849 by the "little" North Western Railway, later taken over by the Midland Railway.[1] The original stone shelters survive on each platform, but the main wooden station building is now in private use.[2]

Midland Railway wagon card for a consignment from Gargrave to Skipton (issued 24 March 1900)

Facilities

It is unstaffed and until 2019 had no ticket machine (so travellers had to buy tickets in advance or on the train). A new ticket machine has now been installed, along with digital information screens as part of an ongoing station upgrade process by train operator first announced back in 2016.[3] Train running information is also provided by timetable posters and telephone.

Step-free access is only possible for southbound travellers, as the northbound platform can only be reached via steps from the road bridge.[4]

Pennine Way

The Pennine Way, a long-distance path, crosses the railway a few hundred yards to the west of the station.

Services

Route 7: Bentham Line and Settle & Carlisle Line
Carlisle Armathwaite Lazonby and Kirkoswald Langwathby Appleby Kirkby Stephen Garsdale Dent Ribblehead Horton-in-Ribblesdale Settle Heysham Port Morecambe Bare Lane Lancaster Carnforth Wennington Bentham Clapham Giggleswick Long Preston Hellifield Gargrave Skipton Keighley Bingley Shipley Leeds

The service level from here in both directions was increased at the May 2018 timetable change, as a consequence of the 2015 Northern franchise award to Arriva Rail North.[5] The improvements included two additional trains each way on the Leeds - Lancaster route on weekdays and an extra train on Sundays - these began operating on 20 May 2018 with the start of the summer timetable. In total there are now fourteen departures northbound (up from ten prior to May 2018) - eight to Lancaster and five to Carlisle, plus one evening train to Ribblehead. Five of the Lancaster trains continue to Morecambe, but the daily direct Heysham train has now ceased on weekdays (though it does run on a Sunday since the winter 2019 timetable update). Southbound there are thirteen departures to Leeds, plus a single late evening departure to Skipton only (though this has a connection to Leeds from there).

Eight trains each way call on Sundays (five to Lancaster and Morecambe, three to Carlisle northbound).[6]

References

1. Bairstow (2000), p. 96.
2. Bairstow (2000), p. 4.
3. "Official Opening For New Giggleswick Shelter". Community Rail Lancashire. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
4. "Gargrave (GGV)". National Rail Enquiries. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
5. "Northern Franchise Improvements". DfT. Archived from the original on 14 June 2018.
6. Table 42 National Rail timetable, December 2019

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

External links

• Train times and station information for Gargrave railway station from National Rail