Grange-over-Sands railway station

Grange-over-Sands is a railway station on the Furness Line, which runs between Barrow-in-Furness and Lancaster. The station, situated 15+1⁄2 miles (25 km) north-west of Lancaster, serves the town of Grange-over-Sands in Cumbria. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.

Grange-over-Sands
General information
LocationGrange-over-Sands, South Lakeland
England
Coordinates54°11′45″N 2°54′09″W
Grid referenceSD411781
Owned byNetwork Rail
Managed byNorthern Trains
Platforms2
Tracks2
Other information
Station codeGOS
ClassificationDfT category E
History
Original companyUlverstone and Lancaster Railway
Pre-groupingFurness Railway
Post-groupingLondon, Midland and Scottish Railway
British Rail (London Midland Region)
Key dates
1 September 1857Opened as Grange
1 June 1916Renamed Grange-over-Sands
2 April 1923Renamed Grange
1 October 1930Renamed Grange-over-Sands
Passengers
2016/17 0.154 million
2017/18 0.145 million
2018/19 0.135 million
2019/20 0.158 million
2020/21 41,274
Listed Building – Grade II
FeatureOriginal Furness Railway station building
Designated2 May 1975
Reference no.1269659[1]
Location
Grange-over-Sands
Location in South Lakeland, Cumbria
Grange-over-Sands
Location in Cumbria, England
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

History

The station was opened as Grange on 1 September 1857 by the Ulverstone and Lancaster Railway.[lower-alpha 1][3]

The station was renamed several times, alternating between Grange and Grange-over-Sands, the current name being settled on by the London Midland and Scottish Railway in October 1930.[3]

The station building was designed by the Lancaster architect E. G. Paley for the Furness Railway Company in about 1864.[4]

Two camping coaches were positioned here by the London Midland Region from 1954 to 1964, and four coaches from 1965 to 1970.[5]

At one time the line carried a very heavy industrial traffic to support the iron and steel industry of the Furness area, including coke from County Durham.

Location

The station is adjacent to the Grange-over-Sands Promenade which runs along the edge of Morecambe Bay (until the River Kent changed its course, it was alongside the promenade - it is now further out in the bay towards Arnside).

Preceding station National Rail Following station
Cark and Cartmel   Northern Trains
Cumbria–Manchester Airport		   Arnside
Kents Bank    
Ulverston    
Kents Bank   Northern Trains
Furness Line		   Arnside

Facilities
A Northern Class 158 calls with a service to Preston

The station booking office is on the "up" (Lancaster) platform and is staffed all week; the "down" (Barrow-in-Furness) platform features a second-hand book-shop named Oversands Bookshop. There is step-free access to both platforms.[6] Digital information screens, customer help points and automatic announcements provide train running information.

There is a small car park at the station, and a bus-stop for local services. The X6 bus operated by Stagecoach also travels to Ulverston and Barrow (westbound) and Kendal (eastbound), departing every hour during the day.[7]

The station was awarded 'Heritage Station of the Year' in 2012.

Services

It is primarily served by local services from Lancaster to Barrow-in-Furness, with some continuing to Sellafield or Carlisle via the Cumbrian Coast Line. A number of southbound services run through to Preston and Manchester Airport via Wigan North Western. There is normally one train an hour in each direction on weekdays & Saturdays (with peak extras) and an hourly service on Sundays.[8] Since the May 2018 timetable change, there is a Sunday service on the Cumbrian Coast and a handful of through trains operate (three each way - connections are available at Barrow at other times).

See also

References
  1. Historic England. "Grange-Over-Sands Railway Station (Grade II) (1269659)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  2. Quick, Michael (2019) [2001]. Railway passenger stations in Great Britain: a chronology (PDF) (5th ed.). Railway & Canal Historical Society. p. 472.
  3. Butt, R. V. J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 108. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199.
  4. Brandwood, Geoff; Austin, Tim; Hughes, John; Price, James (2012), The Architecture of Sharpe, Paley and Austin, Swindon: English Heritage, p. 221, ISBN 978-1-84802-049-8
  5. McRae, Andrew (1997). British Railway Camping Coach Holidays: The 1930s & British Railways (London Midland Region). Vol. Scenes from the Past: 30 (Part One). Foxline. pp. 50 & 84–85. ISBN 1-870119-48-7.
  6. Grange-over-Sands Station Details Northern Station pages; Retrieved 25 November 2016
  7. "Stagecoach Bus X6".
  8. GB eNRT December 2019 Edition, Table 82 (Network Rail)

Notes
  1. There is some confusion over the actual date of opening the station, Quick (2019) reports that it is likely the formal opening was on the 26 August, special trips ran on 31 August (and possibly 27-29th) and that regular passenger trains began on 1 September.[2]
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