Windermere railway station

Windermere railway station serves the town of Windermere, in Cumbria, England. It is the northern terminus of the Windermere Branch Line, which runs from Oxenholme. It is owned by Network Rail and is operated by Northern Trains, which provides all passenger train services.

Windermere
A Class 195 at the platform
General information
Location	Windermere, Westmorland and Furness England
Grid reference	SD413986
Managed by	Northern Trains
Platforms	1
Other information
Station code	WDM
Classification	DfT category E
History
Opened	1847
Original company	Kendal and Windermere Railway
Pre-grouping	London and North Western Railway
Post-grouping	London, Midland and Scottish Railway; London Midland Region of British Railways
Key dates
20 April 1847	Opened
1973	Reduced to single track
Passengers
2019/20	0.406 million
2020/21	0.115 million
2021/22	0.310 million
2022/23	0.316 million
2023/24	0.363 million
Location Windermere Location in South Lakeland Show map of the former South Lakeland district Windermere Location in Cumbria Show map of Cumbria
Notes Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

It is located just south of the A591, about 25 min walk or a short bus ride from Lake Windermere. The station is located behind a former branch of the Booths supermarket chain, which occupies the site of the original station building, in front of the Lakeland store.

History

Windermere station in 1951

It is the terminus of the former Kendal and Windermere Railway.^[1]

The Terrace, a row of cottages built for railway executives in 1849, is said to have been designed by the architect Augustus Pugin. One of the fireplaces is a copy of one of his in the Palace of Westminster.^[2]

The selection of the town of Birthwaite as the location of the station serving the lake was what led to it taking the name Windermere, even though it is not on the water; nowadays, it has essentially grown together with Bowness-on-Windermere, which touches the lake.

The station was at one time bigger than at present, with four platforms and an overall roof.^[3] Three tracks were taken out of use when the branch was reduced to a one-train operated single line in 1973 as an economy measure. The single track was cut back to a new truncated station in 1986, following the demolition of the train shed and the building of a Booths supermarket; this has been designed to mimic the appearance of the original train shed and incorporates the facade and canopy of the original station.

Facilities

The station has a staffed ticket office that is open throughout the week (06:00 to 20:45 on weekdays and Saturdays, 10:30 to 20:45 on Sundays); a self-service ticket machine is also provided for use outside these times and for collecting pre-paid tickets. A post box, toilets and a waiting room are available, along with cycle hire facilities and a pay phone. Running information is offered via digital CIS displays and timetable posters. Level access is available from the ticket office and station entrance to the platform.^[4] Responsibility for operating the line passed from First TransPennine Express to Northern in April 2016.^[5]

Services

Northern Trains Route 6
v t e
Cumbrian Coast, Furness & Windermere lines
Carlisle Dalston Wigton Aspatria Maryport Flimby Workington Harrington Parton Whitehaven Corkickle St Bees Nethertown Braystones Sellafield Seascale Drigg Ravenglass Bootle Silecroft Millom Green Road Foxfield Kirkby-in-Furness Askam Barrow-in-Furness Roose Dalton Ulverston Cark & Cartmel Kents Bank Grange-over-Sands Arnside Silverdale Carnforth Windermere Staveley Burneside Kendal Oxenholme Lake District Lancaster Preston Chorley Bolton Deansgate Manchester Oxford Road Manchester Piccadilly Manchester Airport
Braystones & Nethertown are request stops.

A Class 195 diesel multiple unit awaiting departure for Oxenholme Lake District

Northern Trains operates a generally hourly service to Staveley, Burneside Kendal and Oxenholme Lake District, with some services extended to Manchester Airport.^[6].

Preceding station		National Rail		Following station
Terminus		Northern Trains Windermere branch line		Staveley
Terminus		Northern Connect Windermere - Manchester Airport		Staveley (limited service)
				Kendal

Bus services

The station is also a hub for Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire bus services connecting Windermere with Coniston, Grasmere, Keswick, Kendal and other destinations in Cumbria.^[7][8]

Stagecoach also runs regular buses through the town to the lake at Bowness-on-Windermere on the 599 route; these buses are open-top double-decker buses and run every 20 minutes in the summer.^[9] The 597 minibus service links the station with the housing estates and health centre three mornings a week.^[10]

• Cumbria portal