Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway 2025 timetable gaps

[lyndhurst25]

For as long as I can remember, the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway has run a daily train service from mid March to the beginning of November. This year however, it looks like that there will be no service on certain Fridays in March, April, May and October.

https://ravenglass-railway.co.uk/files/documents/R-ER-GROUP Timetable 2025.pdf

Are Fridays in the western Lakes really that quiet that it is not worth opening up?

Something to make a note of, as I just used to "turn up and go" during the traditional operating season.

 

[12C]

For as long as I can remember, the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway has run a daily train service from mid March to the beginning of November. This year however, it looks like that there will be no service on certain Fridays in March, April, May and October.

https://ravenglass-railway.co.uk/files/documents/R-ER-GROUP Timetable 2025.pdf

Are Fridays in the western Lakes really that quiet that it is not worth opening up?

Something to make a note of, as I just used to "turn up and go" during the traditional operating season.

Unfortunately I think across the industry operating costs are rising to such a degree that nearly all preserved lines are having to re think what they previously offered in the past.

Something which does surprise me however is the most basic brown timetable with just 3 return trips (usually reserved for winter months) is still in operation on the first 2 weekends of the school Easter holidays, and even some weekends in May.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Something which does surprise me however is the most basic brown timetable with just 3 return trips (usually reserved for winter months) is still in operation on the first 2 weekends of the school Easter holidays, and even some weekends in May.

In 2024, the 'Brown' timetable provision was actually 4 return trips. Perhaps the more limited 3 return trips 'Brown' timetable in 2025 can be more easily operated with just the one train in steam.

 

[KeithMcC]

Their ticket booking system doesn't seem to work for any future date either. Given their insistence on booking in advance and allocating specific seats that wouldn't seem like a great idea!
Unless they have become more flexible on this and got rid of the Perspex screens in the open carriages I won't be in any hurry to visit again.

 

[Ghostbus]

Obviously hard choices need to be made, but if there's any kind of weekday market here (schoolkids?), it's probably a false economy to start dropping random Fridays.

I'm reminded of my local chippy. I was never a habitual user, but the mere fact they started to close whenever it was convenient for them, was about the time I just stopped going entirely. I can't be doing with walking around with the timetables for my local chippy, local pub, local cafe and local railway rattling around in my head. It's not the seventies.

 

[YorkshireBear]

Obviously hard choices need to be made, but if there's any kind of weekday market here (schoolkids?), it's probably a false economy to start dropping random Fridays.

I'm reminded of my local chippy. I was never a habitual user, but the mere fact they started to close whenever it was convenient for them, was about the time I just stopped going entirely. I can't be doing with walking around with the timetables for my local chippy, local pub, local cafe and local railway rattling around in my head. It's not the seventies.

Fridays are generally quieter. Many railways don't run Fridays in shoulder season, they aren't all making a mistake.

I know from KWVR stats Friday is one of the quietest days of the week, hence in some years they ran midweek steam on Wednesday and Thursday only in shoulder season.

 

[bramling]

Fridays are generally quieter. Many railways don't run Fridays in shoulder season, they aren't all making a mistake.

I know from KWVR stats Friday is one of the quietest days of the week, hence in some years they ran midweek steam on Wednesday and Thursday only in shoulder season.

Out of interest, why is Friday quieter? I’d have outwardly thought the opposite would apply given how many people seem to take Friday off work nowadays.

 

[YorkshireBear]

Out of interest, why is Friday quieter? I’d have outwardly thought the opposite would apply given how many people seem to take Friday off work nowadays.

Something to do with changeover days on holiday let's etc. Weekend away folks don't do things on the Fridays as travelling etc.

I can't quite remember the more detailed answer as it's not the area of the KWVR I am involved in. But I do remember the stats saying Friday was the quietest day, and that when we stopped running them we found that the vast majority of those visitors just transferred to another day rather than it stopping them visiting.

 

[30907]

Something to do with changeover days on holiday let's etc. Weekend away folks don't do things on the Fridays as travelling etc.

I'm sure that's correct.

Though oddly, most businesses that open at weekends close Monday (or now Monday/Tuesday) - round here the Bronte Parsonage Museum and Salt's Mill are prominent examples.

 

[Bevan Price]

Something to do with changeover days on holiday let's etc. Weekend away folks don't do things on the Fridays as travelling etc.

I can't quite remember the more detailed answer as it's not the area of the KWVR I am involved in. But I do remember the stats saying Friday was the quietest day, and that when we stopped running them we found that the vast majority of those visitors just transferred to another day rather than it stopping them visiting.

Friday is/was a common pre-weekend "shopping day", especially for people like housewives, retired people, etc.

 

[kje7812]

Out of interest, why is Friday quieter? I’d have outwardly thought the opposite would apply given how many people seem to take Friday off work nowadays.

Experience from the SVR also points to Friday being the quietest day. The move to take Friday off/"WFH" didn't seem to change much passenger number wise on Fridays. Before COVID and subsequent events, when running 7 days a week the SVR was busy Tuesday to Thursday and Saturday, Sunday less so, Monday and Fridays below that. Pattern wise, it's still the same really.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

I make it no Friday service whatsoever on the 'Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway' on seven Fridays in 2025 (21st March, 28th March, 4th April, 9th May, 16th May, 10th October and 17th October) when the line operates every day the rest of the week.

 

[778]

Experience from the SVR also points to Friday being the quietest day. The move to take Friday off/"WFH" didn't seem to change much passenger number wise on Fridays. Before COVID and subsequent events, when running 7 days a week the SVR was busy Tuesday to Thursday and Saturday, Sunday less so, Monday and Fridays below that. Pattern wise, it's still the same really.

Sundays used to have the best timetable on the SVR with a 5 train service (all steam).

I think that stopped about 20 years ago?

 

[kje7812]

Sundays used to have the best timetable on the SVR with a 5 train service (all steam).

I think that stopped about 20 years ago?

Well before my time (2009 onwards).
More things particularly shops are open on Sundays, thus there other things for people to do.

 

[30907]

Well before my time (2009 onwards).
More things particularly shops are open on Sundays, thus there other things for people to do.

Interestingly, the KWVR has for the last couple of years operated more public trains on Sunday than on Saturday.

 

[YorkshireBear]

Interestingly, the KWVR has for the last couple of years operated more public trains on Sunday than on Saturday.

Historical that. Saturdays have been increasing for several years. We used to still run civils works trains in the summer Saturdays but that has not gone in recent years.

 

[DelW]

Something to do with changeover days on holiday let's etc. Weekend away folks don't do things on the Fridays as travelling etc.

I can't quite remember the more detailed answer as it's not the area of the KWVR I am involved in. But I do remember the stats saying Friday was the quietest day, and that when we stopped running them we found that the vast majority of those visitors just transferred to another day rather than it stopping them visiting.

Experience from the SVR also points to Friday being the quietest day. The move to take Friday off/"WFH" didn't seem to change much passenger number wise on Fridays. Before COVID and subsequent events, when running 7 days a week the SVR was busy Tuesday to Thursday and Saturday, Sunday less so, Monday and Fridays below that. Pattern wise, it's still the same really.

A lot of holiday cottages seem to be bookable Fri-Mon and Mon-Fri, which allows a three day weekend booking, or a four day weekday booking, or a traditional seven day stay. So visitors to those will be likely to be travelling on Fridays.

 

[kje7812]

A lot of holiday cottages seem to be bookable Fri-Mon and Mon-Fri, which allows a three day weekend booking, or a four day weekday booking, or a traditional seven day stay. So visitors to those will be likely to be travelling on Fridays.

True, though a lot of SVR traffic is day trips.
Coach tours often run midweek and at weekends so generally avoid Monday/Friday.

 

[Narrowgauge725]

Heatherslaw Light Railway (15') for the first time last season closed on Fridays at the start of the season, main reason being staff shortage but the choice of Friday is simply because it is the quietest although Monday runs it a close second. Probably change over day for many holiday lets being the main reason, it relies on tourists mainly. This year it is back to 7 days a week.

 

[Solent&Wessex]

Interestingly, the KWVR has for the last couple of years operated more public trains on Sunday than on Saturday.

Which commercially makes no sense at all, Saturday is pretty much always the busiest day of the week, all year round. Winter Saturdays in the past two years were notably busier on two train days than one train days, and even on one train days were often busier than two train Sundays.

However, historically, Saturday was the day when the engineering trains were run for maintenance on the line. Partly because a) that's when volunteers were available and b) because Sundays were always the busiest day so sacrificing a valuable train path didn't matter on a Saturday.

Historical that. Saturdays have been increasing for several years. We used to still run civils works trains in the summer Saturdays but that has not gone in recent years.

And as time moves on and the availability of volunteers, working practices, customer demand etc etc changes then it is good to keep things continually under review to get the best balance.

Experience from the SVR also points to Friday being the quietest day. The move to take Friday off/"WFH" didn't seem to change much passenger number wise on Fridays. Before COVID and subsequent events, when running 7 days a week the SVR was busy Tuesday to Thursday and Saturday, Sunday less so, Monday and Fridays below that. Pattern wise, it's still the same really.

Last time I looked at midweek operations at the KWVR it was very much the same.

In summer in recent years the order has been:

Busiest - Saturday, Tuesday to Thursday, Sunday, Monday and Friday - Quietest

 

[DelW]

Normally the West Somerset runs Tue - Thu and Sat - Sun only, AIUI that's mainly because a lot of traffic is visitors to the Minehead Butlin's which has changeovers on Monday and Friday.

 

[Notabene]

NYMR is not running on Thursdays and Fridays except in peak season.
It seems a bit extreme to close on Thursdays.

 

[paul1609]

If you are employing a lot of paid staff it probably makes sense to not run on 2 days in a row, one of which is you lowest income day. You can then employ the staff for Sat to Wednesday with their weekend as Thursday/Friday. That avoids needing to have staff to cover the odd 2 days. There are also engineering tasks that are easier/cheaper with a 2 day break. Mondays which would most likely be the second less busy day also include a lot of bank holidays.

 

[JGurney]

Given their insistence on booking in advance and allocating specific seats ....

But the opposite if not going the whole way. There website states " intermediate stations ...... The train will only stop if there is space on board. It is not possible to book tickets to or from these stations in advance but tickets can be bought from the guard using cash". This is worrying as our main use of the R&ER has been for getting home at the end of hiking holidays, by walking from accommodation in Wasdale to Eskdale Green for a train down to Ravenglass then trains home. I wondered about booking a single from Dalegarth on the train involved, which can be done, and actually boarding at Eskdale Green, but it seems that is out as their website FAQ states "you must start your journey at your departure point as shown on your ticket. Failure to start at the departure point does not guarantee joining at an intermediate station. Passengers who fail to turn up at departure points risk losing their seat allocation for that journey". Presumably we can get round this by going the other way about, booking a single from Ravenglass to Dalegarth but actually getting off at Eskdale Green, and ending up somewhere like Keswick or Ambleside then heading home from there, but having to rearrange the whole plan because the R&ER make their trains hard to use is offputting.

 

[paul1609]

But the opposite if not going the whole way. There website states " intermediate stations ...... The train will only stop if there is space on board. It is not possible to book tickets to or from these stations in advance but tickets can be bought from the guard using cash". This is worrying as our main use of the R&ER has been for getting home at the end of hiking holidays, by walking from accommodation in Wasdale to Eskdale Green for a train down to Ravenglass then trains home. I wondered about booking a single from Dalegarth on the train involved, which can be done, and actually boarding at Eskdale Green, but it seems that is out as their website FAQ states "you must start your journey at your departure point as shown on your ticket. Failure to start at the departure point does not guarantee joining at an intermediate station. Passengers who fail to turn up at departure points risk losing their seat allocation for that journey". Presumably we can get round this by going the other way about, booking a single from Ravenglass to Dalegarth but actually getting off at Eskdale Green, and ending up somewhere like Keswick or Ambleside then heading home from there, but having to rearrange the whole plan because the R&ER make their trains hard to use is offputting.

The R&ER arent making their trains hard to use for 99% of their customers, what as a tourist attraction rather than a public transport operator they are doing is trying to survive financially against unsympathetic world events and government policies. selling half a dozen intermediate single tickets a day at the expense of maximising income and controlling costs isnt going to achieve that.

 

[JGurney]

selling half a dozen intermediate single tickets a day at the expense of maximising income and controlling costs isnt going to achieve that.

As above, I would be quite willing to pay the fare for the full journey despite getting on or off part way. I often do that on flat fare bus routes.
How is my doing that reducing their income or increasing their costs? They get the same income whether they carry me all the way or part of it.

 

[tram21]

NYMR is not running on Thursdays and Fridays except in peak season.
It seems a bit extreme to close on Thursdays.

Same at Crich Tramway this year, although the reason is to facilitate increased maintenance needs.

 

[notverydeep]

But the opposite if not going the whole way. There website states " intermediate stations ...... The train will only stop if there is space on board. It is not possible to book tickets to or from these stations in advance but tickets can be bought from the guard using cash". This is worrying as our main use of the R&ER has been for getting home at the end of hiking holidays, by walking from accommodation in Wasdale to Eskdale Green for a train down to Ravenglass then trains home. I wondered about booking a single from Dalegarth on the train involved, which can be done, and actually boarding at Eskdale Green, but it seems that is out as their website FAQ states "you must start your journey at your departure point as shown on your ticket. Failure to start at the departure point does not guarantee joining at an intermediate station. Passengers who fail to turn up at departure points risk losing their seat allocation for that journey". Presumably we can get round this by going the other way about, booking a single from Ravenglass to Dalegarth but actually getting off at Eskdale Green, and ending up somewhere like Keswick or Ambleside then heading home from there, but having to rearrange the whole plan because the R&ER make their trains hard to use is offputting.

I visited in the school summer holidays in 2023 and stayed a week in Ravenglass, using the railway all days except one, including to and from the intermediate stations (including the small halts) and without pre-booking. Occasionally the family members split up to be accommodated on busier trains. I think in practice your suggested trip will be fine as in my experience the last train from Dalegarth (diesel hauled in the peak timetable) is rarely fully loaded and we used this after hiking several times. I suspect the 'cash only' advice is related to the terrible phone signal in Eskdale making cheap card readers unreliable.

The train that does routinely get full is the 11:25 (actual time has moved around slightly) from Ravenglass as this is a popular arrival time for both families and groups and you do see people who just turn up having to wait for the next (normally diesel hauled) train. These travellers tend to use mid afternoon return trains.

I do agree that the website wording isn't great and could be off putting (and this apparent policy has led to some adverse comment in the society magazine, possibly because it does make travel as a member a little less assured - though the free travel benefit always was qualified by the phrase if space is available with paying customers given priority), but in my experience the actual staff and volunteers will not want to leave you stranded at the end of the traffic day. Although the number of passengers who do pre-book is much higher than in years past, it isn't all passengers by any means and plenty of visitors still turn up, buy a ticket in person and go...

 

[Mcr Warrior]

I make it no Friday service whatsoever on the 'Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway' on seven Fridays in 2025 (21st March, 28th March, 4th April, 9th May, 16th May, 10th October and 17th October) when the line operates every day the rest of the week.

Looking today at a printed version of their 2025-26 timetable (which I picked up from Carlisle station), it appears that Fridays 4th April, 9th May, 16th May and 10th October 2025 have very possibly been designated as "Engine Driver Experience" days.

 

[lyndhurst25]

Looking today at a printed version of their 2025-26 timetable (which I picked up from Carlisle station), it appears that Fridays 4th April, 9th May, 16th May and 10th October 2025 have very possibly been designated as "Engine Driver Experience" days.

Yes. I recently got an email about this.

Railway Engine Driver Taster Experience AM Session 4th April 2025

Railway Engine Driver Taster Experience AM Session 4th April 2025. Step into the driver’s seat of one of our iconic engines on the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway. Perfect for those wanting a taste of the action, this unique experience offers a hands-on introduction to engine driving...

lakedistrictestates.wearegifted.co.uk

Seems that, at a minimum, they will have to open the signalbox and Ravenglass cafe, along with supplying a driver and guard for the driver experience trains. Not sure how many drivers per day they can accommodate.

I was thinking that the prices seem a little odd. £210 for the driver (too low?) and up to eight accompanied spectators for £80 each (too high?). I suppose that they have done their sums though, and expect this to make more money than running a normal passenger service.