History
DalesRail is a unique way to enjoy the countryside, with its individual combination of train and bus links, it offers an exciting way to access to some of the most beautiful English countryside.
The Lancashire DalesRail package, consists of integrated train and bus services linking some of the major towns in Lancashire with the Yorkshire Dales National Park, Mallerstang and Eden Valley. With reasonable fares, and connecting bus and rail services from Manchester, Bolton & Chorley, it’s easy to join the DalesRail service.
The first DalesRail services were operated in 1975 from West Yorkshire along the Leeds - Settle -Carlisle line on a limited number of Sundays during the summer period. The trains called at stations which were specially re-opened for the service, they had been closed by British Rail in 1970. These were Horton-in-Ribblesdale, Ribblehead (southbound only), Dent, Garsdale, Kirkby Stephen, Lazonby, Langwathby and Armthwaite.
The service was provided initially by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Committee in co-operation with British Rail, the National Bus Company and other organisations including the Countryside Commission and West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority.
In 1976 Lancashire DalesRail began and connected Preston and Blackburn with the West Yorkshire service at Hellifield. Once the service was introduced demand for a stop at Clitheroe grew. As a result the County Council and other organisations gave grants to British Rail to bring the station up to the standard required for use on occasional basis. The station was re-opened in 1978; the cost was a staggering £2,800!
DalesRail also played a major part in saving the Settle Carlisle and Blackburn Hellifield lines from closure in the 1980s. The service had demonstrated that there was demand for travelling along the Settle Carlisle line, in particular from Yorkshire, but also from Lancashire.
What does DalesRail set out to do?
Lancashire DalesRail has a number of specific objectives, which reflect the interest of the partners involved in the project. In summary they are:
a) To provide a public transport facility to enable visitors without access to their own transport to visit the Yorkshire Dales National Park and the Eden Valley
b) To provide an incentive to those visitors who would normally use their car on the narrow roads of the National Park and Eden Valley, which are congested at weekends and peak holiday periods, to use public transport.
c) To provide an integrated rail and bus package which enables visitors to reach destinations away from the rail corridor.
d) To provide a comprehensive range of guided walks through which the visitor can be assured of seeing the very best of the Dales and Eden Valley in the company of an experienced and knowledgeable guide who will interpret the area and scenery for them.
e) To provide an enjoyable, scenic train ride over one of the most spectacular railway lines in England.
How does DalesRail achieve this?
Lancashire DalesRail achieves the above objectives by providing:
i. Specially timetabled train Services.
ii. A comprehensive programme of guided walks lead by experienced, volunteer walk leaders.
iii. Connecting bus services to places of interest away from the railway corridor.
The service is open to anyone, and many journeys are made each year just for the ride along the scenic Ribble Valley and Settle Carlisle lines. Having said this the DalesRail package is specifically targeted at the rambler and leisure market. The programme of guided walks and bus links, which are an important feature of the service, add considerably to the range of destinations that can be reached and the walking opportunities available to visitors.
