Matlock Bath railway station

Matlock Bath railway station serves the village of Matlock Bath in Derbyshire, England. It is a stop on the Derwent Valley Line, which connects Derby with Matlock. The station building is Grade II listed^[1] and is located 16.25 miles (26.15 km) north of Derby; it is owned by Network Rail and managed by East Midlands Railway.

Matlock Bath
Matlock Bath station, 2007
General information
Location	Matlock Bath, Derbyshire Dales England
Grid reference	SK297584
Managed by	East Midlands Railway
Platforms	1
Other information
Station code	MTB
Classification	DfT category F2
Key dates
4 June 1849	Opened
6 March 1967	Closed
27 May 1972	Reopened
Passengers
2019/20	68,234
2020/21	17,382
2021/22	61,028
2022/23	68,466
2023/24	71,396
Location
Notes Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

History

The 'chalet'-style station building seen from the car park

Opened by the Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midland Junction Railway on 4 June 1849,^[2] the station closed on 6 March 1967 and reopened on 27 May 1972.^[2]

In recent times, the usage of the station has increased; for example, in the year 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010, journeys increased by 62%.^[3]

The station buildings have an unusual chalet-style, inspired by the romantic notion at the time that the resort was England's Little Switzerland. The Heights of Abraham cable car runs from near the station up to the Heights of Abraham visitor attraction.

The station buildings have been occupied by Derbyshire Wildlife Trust since the 1980s; they were restored in period-style and opened as a cafe/visitor centre in 2019 after a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, with additional support from Derbyshire Dales and Derbyshire County councils, and other donations.^[4][5][6]

Services

All services at Matlock Bath are operated by East Midlands Railway, using Class 170 diesel multiple units.

The typical off-peak service is one train per hour in each direction between Matlock and Nottingham, via Derby. On Sundays, the station is served by one train every two hours in each direction in the morning, increasing to hourly in the afternoon.^[7]

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Cromford		East Midlands Railway Derwent Valley Line		Matlock

Public safety issues

In October 2015, Network Rail released CCTV footage showing members of the public taking selfie photographs on the main crossing over the tracks at the station. It issued a safety warning, asserting the railways were not for taking photographs on and that trains can appear without warning. Network Rail said it was releasing the footage to highlight the dangerous practices, particularly involving children on the railway line. The crossing has since been closed to the public.^[8]

See also

• Listed buildings in Matlock Bath