Kents Bank railway station
Railway station in Cumbria, England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kents Bank is a railway station on the Furness Line, which runs between Barrow-in-Furness and Lancaster. The station, situated 17+1⁄4 miles (28 km) north-west of Lancaster, serves the village of Kents Bank in Cumbria. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.
Kents Bank  | |||||
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| General information | |||||
| Location | Kents Bank, Westmorland and Furness England | ||||
| Coordinates | 54°10′22″N 2°55′31″W | ||||
| Grid reference | SD396756 | ||||
| Owner | Network Rail | ||||
| Manager | Northern Trains | ||||
| Platforms | 2 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | KBK | ||||
| Classification | DfT category F2 | ||||
| History | |||||
Original company | Ulverstone and Lancaster Railway | ||||
| Pre-grouping | Furness Railway | ||||
| Post-grouping | London, Midland and Scottish Railway British Rail (London Midland Region) | ||||
| Key dates | |||||
| 1 September 1857 | Opened | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2020/21 |  9,534 | ||||
| 2021/22 |  23,956 | ||||
| 2022/23 | 24,938 | ||||
| 2023/24 | 26,724 | ||||
| 2024/25 | 30,544 | ||||
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History
The first station on the site opened in 1857 as part of the Ulverston and Lancaster Railway, but it closed shortly afterwards owing to a lack of passenger traffic.[1] The present station buildings were designed in 1865 by the Lancaster-based architects, Paley and Austin, for the Furness Railway.[2]
Facilities
The station is unstaffed but now has ticket machines available, allowing passenger to buy before boarding. Shelters are located on each platform, along with digital information screens and a PA system. Access to the northbound platform is via a user-worked barrier level crossing,[3] so whilst it has step-free access disabled travellers should exercise caution when crossing the line.[4]
The former station building is now a private residence, but since January 2024, its basement has housed a library specialising in railway books. It has several thousand titles in stock, and these are available for reference or loan. It is run by volunteers and is free to use. An extension to the building, including a derelict toilet block, is used as an art gallery.[1]
Services
Kents Bank is served by Northern Trains, who operate a regular service between Barrow-in-Furness and Lancaster. Certain northbound trains are extended to Whitehaven and Carlisle, and several southbound trains are extended to Preston and Manchester Airport. A (mostly) hourly service runs each way on Sundays.[5]
