Oxenholme Lake District railway station in Oxenholme, near Kendal, Cumbria, England, is on the West Coast Main Line and at the start of the Windermere branch line to Windermere. The station, which serves as a main line connection point for Kendal and Windermere, is managed by Avanti West Coast and owned by Network Rail.^[2]

Quick Facts General information, Location ...

Oxenholme Lake District
An Avanti West Coast Class 390 and a Northern Trains Class 195 at Oxenholme Lake District, looking south
General information
Location	Oxenholme, District of South Lakeland England
Coordinates	54.305°N 2.722°W / 54.305; -2.722
Grid reference	SD531901
Managed by	Avanti West Coast
Platforms	3
Other information
Station code	OXN
Classification	DfT category D
History
Original company	Lancaster and Carlisle Railway[1]
Pre-grouping	London and North Western Railway
Post-grouping	London, Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
July 1847	Opened as Kendal Junction[1]
c. 1860	Renamed Oxenholme[1]
1988	Renamed Oxenholme The Lake District[1]
Passengers
2018/19	0.635 million
Interchange	0.221 million
2019/20	0.658 million
Interchange	0.239 million
2020/21	0.160 million
Interchange	57,487
2021/22	0.700 million
Interchange	0.177 million
2022/23	0.482 million
Interchange	0.354 million
Location
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

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The station was constructed as part of the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway (which is now a section on the West Coast Main Line from London to Glasgow). Initially the railway was earmarked to go via Kendal. However, a 2.1 miles (3 km) tunnel would have had to have been built north of the town to accommodate this route. As it was deemed too expensive an option, a line running 1 mile (2 km) east of Kendal was adopted. The line between Lancaster and Oxenholme opened in September 1846. Trains from Lancaster passed through Oxenholme to a temporary terminus at Kendal. This ended when the line to Carlisle was completed in December 1847.

With the decision to avoid Kendal, the Kendal and Windermere Railway was promoted instead with Oxenholme becoming a junction station. The branch line would be between Oxenholme and its terminus at Windermere (although it actually is in Birthwaite about .75 miles (1 km) from the actual lake). The station opened in April 1847 as Kendal Junction and was renamed Oxenholme in 1860.

The station's popularity with visitors to The Lakes was fictionalised by Arthur Ransome in the Swallows and Amazons series of children's books, where it was renamed Strickland Junction.^[3] In Pigeon Post Roger releases a homing pigeon there.

The station is fully staffed, with the ticket office open all week (Monday - Saturday 05:45 - 19:00, Sunday 10:45 - 20:15). A self-service ticket machine is also available in the booking hall for use outside these times and for collecting pre-paid tickets. Waiting rooms are provided on both platforms, along with a variety of other amenities such as post box, coffee kiosk, cycle racks, toilets, shop and food/drink vending machines. Train running information is offered via automated announcements, digital display screens and customer help points. The subway linking the platforms and both entrances has inclined ramps and so is accessible for disabled passengers (though wheelchair users are advised to request assistance from station staff as the ramps are quite steep).^[9]

More information Northern TrainsRoute 6, Cumbrian Coast, Furnessand Windermere Lines ...

Northern Trains Route 6
v t e
Cumbrian Coast, Furness and Windermere Lines
Carlisle Dalston Wigton Aspatria Maryport Flimby Workington Harrington Parton Whitehaven Corkickle St Bees Nethertown Braystones Sellafield Seascale Drigg Ravenglass for Eskdale 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 Wigan North Western Manchester Oxford Road Manchester Piccadilly Mauldeth Road Burnage East Didsbury Gatley Heald Green Manchester Airport
Bootle, Braystones, Drigg, Flimby, Green Road, Kirkby-in-Furness, Nethertown, Parton and Silecroft are request stops.

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Most Avanti West Coast services from London to Glasgow or Edinburgh call here to provide connections with the Windermere branch. There is usually one train per hour to London Euston (either direct or via Birmingham New Street) and every hour to Edinburgh or Glasgow via Carlisle, with more at peak times.^[10][11] TransPennine Express services between Manchester Airport and Glasgow/Edinburgh also serve the station once per hour each way, and one direct train per day serves Liverpool. Northern operates services to and from Windermere. Most Windermere services start and terminate here, but some occasionally run through to Lancaster, Preston and Manchester Airport.^[12] Oxenholme and the Windermere branch are signalled from Carlisle PSB.