Braystones railway station
Braystones  | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 The station seen in 2007 | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Braystones, Cumberland England | ||||
| Coordinates | 54°26′22″N 3°32′31″W / 54.4394814°N 3.5419885°W | ||||
| Grid reference | NY000060 | ||||
| Owner | Network Rail | ||||
| Manager | Northern Trains | ||||
| Platforms | 1 | ||||
| Tracks | 1 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | BYS[1] | ||||
| Classification | DfT category F2 | ||||
| History | |||||
Original company | Whitehaven and Furness Junction Railway | ||||
| Pre-grouping | Furness Railway | ||||
| Post-grouping | London, Midland and Scottish Railway British Rail (London Midland Region) | ||||
| Key dates | |||||
| 19 July 1849 | Opened | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2020/21 |  354 | ||||
| 2021/22 |  1,476 | ||||
| 2022/23 | 1,282 | ||||
| 2023/24 | 1,532 | ||||
| 2024/25 | 1,472 | ||||
| |||||
| |||||
Braystones is a railway station on the Cumbrian Coast Line, which runs between Carlisle and Barrow-in-Furness. The station, which is situated 65 miles 76 chains (106.1 km) from Carnforth (measured via Barrow-in-Furness),[2] serves the villages of Beckermet and Braystones in Cumbria. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains, and is located between Nethertown and Sellafield.
The station is unstaffed and is situated directly on the coast in a remote location. Pearson's 1992 railway guide is moved to comment, "The tiny halts at Braystones and Nethertown are as remote as anything British Rail has to offer...".[3]
History
[edit]
The Whitehaven and Furness Junction Railway was authorised in 1847 for a line which would link the town of Whitehaven with the Furness Railway at Broughton-in-Furness.[4] It was opened in stages, and Braystones opened on 19 July 1849.[5] The station was host to four LMS caravans from 1937 to 1939.[6]
The station buildings still exist, but are in private ownership.[7]
Accidents and incidents
[edit]On 4 July 1977, a tanker train derailed to the south of the station after passing over a bridge, with tankers demolishing two bungalows. No one was injured in the accident.[7]
In September 2025, a train collided with a van at the station's level crossing.[8] The driver of the van failed to see the approaching train and was banned from driving.[9]
Facilities
[edit]A bus-stop style shelter is provided on the single platform. There is a Harrington hump, due to the large step down from the train to the platform.[7] There are no other facilities except a bench.[10]
Passenger volume
[edit]The station, alongside neighbouring Nethertown, are among the least used stations in north west England, and are the least used stations in Cumbria.[11]
| 2004–05 | 2005–06 | 2006–07 | 2007–08 | 2008–09 | 2009–10 | 2010–11 | 2011–12 | 2012–13 | 2013–14 | 2014–15 | 2015–16 | 2016–17 | 2017–18 | 2018–19 | 2019–20 | 2020–21 | 2021–22 | 2022–23 | 2023–24 | 2024–25 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entries and exits | 1,679 | 966 | 706 | 876 | 1,096 | 1,964 | 1,970 | 966 | 1,046 | 620 | 892 | 1,028 | 956 | 992 | 1,036 | 1,374 | 354 | 1,476 | 1,282 | 1,532 | 1,472 |
The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April.
Services
[edit]
As of the May 2026 timetable, there are four northbound trains and five southbound trains on weekdays and Saturdays. There is a limited Sunday service of two trains northbound and three trains southbound. Due to ongoing engineering works, trains heading north terminate at Corkickle, rather than run through to Carlisle.[13] A Sunday service was first introduced at the May 2018 timetable change.[14]
| Preceding station |  National Rail |
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nethertown | Northern Trains Cumbrian Coast Line |
Sellafield | ||
| Historical railways | ||||
| Nethertown | Whitehaven and Furness Junction Railway | Sellafield | ||
Community rail
[edit]The station, along with all other stations along the line, are part of the Community Rail Cumbria group.[15]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Railway Codes". railwaycodes.org.uk. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- ↑ Brailsford, Martyn, ed. (2022). Railway Track Diagrams; 4: Midlands & North West (5th ed.). Frome: TRACKmaps. p. 35. ISBN 978 1999627157.
- ↑ Pearson's Railway Rides, The Cumbrian Coast. J M Pearson & Son, Staffs, 1992.
- ↑ Rush, Robert W. (1973). The Furness Railway 1843-1923. The Oakwood Library of Railway History. Lingfield: Oakwood Press. pp. 33–34. OL35.
- ↑ Quick 2023, p. 98.
- ↑ McRae, Andrew (1997). British Railway Camping Coach Holidays: The 1930s & British Railways (London Midland Region). Vol. Scenes from the Past: 30 (Part One). Foxline. p. 22. ISBN 1-870119-48-7.
- 1 2 3 Caton 2018, pp. 78–79.
- ↑ "Carlisle and Barrow-in-Furness train hits van on level crossing". BBC News. 15 September 2025. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
- ↑ "Delivery driver given one-year ban after level crossing crash with fast-moving train". www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk. 27 February 2026. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
- ↑ "Braystones Station | National Rail". www.nationalrail.co.uk. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
- ↑ "Two Cumbrian locations in top 10 'least used' railway stations across the North West". News and Star. 22 November 2024. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
- ↑ "Estimates of station usage | ORR Data Portal". dataportal.orr.gov.uk. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
- ↑ eNRT May 2026 Edition, Table 107 (Network Rail)
- ↑ Table 100 National Rail timetable, May 2018
- ↑ "Community Rail Cumbria". Community Rail. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
Bibliography
[edit]- Caton, Peter (2018). Remote Stations. Leicestershire: Matador. ISBN 978-1-78901-408-2.
- Quick, Michael (2023). Railway Passenger Stations in Great Britain: A Chronology (PDF) (5th ed.). London: Railway and Canal Historical Society.
External links
[edit]
- Train times and station information for Braystones railway station from National Rail