This is Hawes in Upper Wensleydale.

It once had a railway, but they closed it.
We would like to reopen it.
Can you help?

The Upper Wensleydale Railway

‘Bringing the Railway Back to Hawes’

It’s all about connections

Garsdale railway station was one of the more remote local stations on the new mainline between Settle and Carlisle that opened to passenger traffic in 1876. From the outset, it was constructed as a junction station in anticipation of the start of railway services to Hawes in 1878.

From 1878 until 1959, trains on the Hawes Branch connected the remote but delightful Upper Wensleydale market town of Hawes with Carlisle, Settle, Skipton and beyond.

The Upper Wensleydale Railway scheme would see the railway tracks reinstated to provide Hawes with a direct rail connection once more. This connection would provide additional transport opportunities for the local communities and for visitors from further afield to this part of the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

Hawes Junction (now known as Garsdale).
Note the trackbed of the former Hawes Branch (left) and Dandry Mire Viaduct on the Leeds – Settle – Carlisle railway line (right).
Please note that there is NO public right of access to any part of the old Hawes Branch trackbed.

It is proposed that a reinstated junction with the existing Leeds – Settle – Carlisle railway line at Garsdale (see photo above) will allow ‘through’ trains to run from Hawes via Garsdale Junction, past the Yorkshire Three Peaks to Settle, then onwards through Hellifield and Clitheroe into Lancashire for Preston and Greater Manchester. A modal shift for travel to, from and within the Yorkshire Dales National Park (YDNP) would be encouraged accordingly.

We also propose that some Manchester – Blackburn – Clitheroe trains can be extended to Garsdale and Hawes thereby linking Lancashire to an enhanced service through Settle to the Yorkshire Peaks and Dales.

Connections with other trains could be made at Hellifield (for West Yorkshire & Lancaster) and at Garsdale (for Carlisle, Scotland & the Northeast of England).

Map: Location of UWR in relation to key passenger railway routes.

The simplified rail map shows some of these potential connections. (To view a larger version, click / tap on the thumbnail.)

It is expected that the service would be operated with modern trains similar to those in operation elsewhere on the UK’s National Rail Network.

Progress to date

  • Following a public meeting in August 2018, investigations into the prospects for reopening the railway between Hawes and Garsdale have been underway.
  • Consultation with local landowners, Local Authorities and other key stakeholders has begun.
  • The work needed to bring the 6-mile route back into service has been identified in broad terms.  For further information on this, see ‘Reinstating a Railway‘ and ‘Route & Structures‘.
  • This website has been created to help us communicate our objectives and keep you informed.
  • Significant effort has been focused on the applications to the Department for Transport’s ‘Ideas Fund’ and to analysing the feedback received, see Assessing Feasibility. To enable us to progress this exciting project, we will need to expand our small team of volunteers and supplement our existing skills and experience.
  • In June 2022, despite numerous and substantive objections, the Members of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority resolved to support the development of a multi-user route (essentially a public bridleway) using the route of the former railway from Garsdale to Hawes. Work to develop the proposal, as well as to identify the not insignificant funding required, was thereby authorised. Despite earlier suggestions to the contrary, it is not feasible for the proposed bridleway and the railway to share the same formation in this location.

Can you help us?

  • Do you have skills or experience that would help us to continue our assessment of feasibility and subsequent preparation of relevant business cases to an appropriate standard?
  • Do you have any of the following that you might be willing to share with us:
    • Information about the line’s history, maintenance or operation?
    • Photographs or cine-film footage of the line, its structures or its trains?
  • If you think that you may be able to help in any way, please Contact Us.

Can we help you (to help us)?

If you’d like to find-out more, or to discuss any aspect of the project, please Contact Us.