View source for Foxfield railway station

{{Short description|Railway station in Cumbria, England}}
{{For|the heritage railway in [[Staffordshire]]|Foxfield Railway}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Infobox station
| name = Foxfield
| symbol_location = gb
| symbol = rail
| image = Foxfield railway station in 2008.jpg
| borough = [[Foxfield, Cumbria|Foxfield]], [[South Lakeland]]
| country = England
| coordinates = {{coord|54.2587172|-3.2161134|format=dms|region:GB_type:railwaystation|display=inline,title}}
| grid_name = [[Ordnance Survey National Grid|Grid reference]]
| grid_position = {{gbmapscaled|SD208854|25|SD208854}}
| owned = [[Network Rail]]
| manager = [[Northern (train operating company)|Northern Trains]]
| platforms = 2
| tracks = 2
| code = FOX
| classification = [[United Kingdom railway station categories|DfT category]] F2
| original = [[Furness Railway]]
| pregroup = [[Furness Railway]]
| postgroup = [[London, Midland and Scottish Railway]]<br />[[London Midland Region of British Railways|British Rail (London Midland Region)]]
| years = 1 August 1848
| events = Opened as ''Foxfield Junction''
| years1 = 1 September 1957
| events1 = Renamed ''Foxfield''
| mpassengers = 
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2018/19 |passengers={{decrease}} 22,402}}
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2019/20 |passengers={{increase}} 25,976}}
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2020/21 |passengers={{decrease}} 4,758}}
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2021/22 |passengers={{increase}} 12,470}}
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2022/23 |passengers={{increase}} 13,322}}
| footnotes = Passenger statistics from the [[Office of Rail and Road]]
| map_type = United Kingdom South Lakeland#Cumbria
| map_caption = Location in [[South Lakeland]], [[Cumbria]]##Location in [[Cumbria]], England
}}

'''Foxfield''' is a railway station on the [[Cumbrian Coast line|Cumbrian Coast Line]], which runs between {{rws|Carlisle}} and {{rws|Barrow-in-Furness}}. The station, situated {{Convert|11+1/2|mi|km|0}} north of Barrow-in-Furness, serves the villages of [[Broughton-in-Furness]] and [[Foxfield, Cumbria|Foxfield]] in [[Cumbria]]. It is owned by [[Network Rail]] and managed by [[Northern Trains]].

==History==
The station dates from 1848, when the [[Furness Railway]] extended its line from {{stnlnk|Barrow-in-Furness}} to [[Kirkby-in-Furness railway station|Kirkby-in-Furness]] to nearby [[Broughton-in-Furness]] with the intention of serving local copper mines. It was opened on 1 August 1848 and consisted of an island platform.

Two years later, the [[Whitehaven and Furness Junction Railway]] completed its line down the coast from [[Whitehaven railway station|Whitehaven]] to join the Furness Railway from Barrow-in-Furness, making Foxfield a junction of some importance in the process. The line from Broughton was extended further northwards to [[Coniston railway station, Cumbria|Coniston]] by the ''[[Coniston Railway]] Company'' on 18 June 1859,<ref>{{Harvnb|Marshall|1981|p=111.}}</ref> although it was not long before the Furness took it over (along with the W&FJR – both companies having been absorbed by the FR by 1865).<ref>[http://www.furnessrailwaytrust.org.uk/frco.htm "The Furness Railway"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070715000000/http://www.furnessrailwaytrust.org.uk/frco.htm |date=15 July 2007 }} The Furness Railway Trust website article; Retrieved 18 February 2010</ref>

In 1879 an enlarged station was built, designed by the [[Lancaster, Lancashire|Lancaster]] architects [[Paley and Austin]] and built by the [[Barrow-in-Furness|Barrow]] contractor William Ormandy. The island platform was widened to {{convert|29|ft|m|0}}, and a new [[Canopy (building)|canopy]] for passengers was provided.<ref>{{Harvnb|Andrews |Holme|2005|p=14.}}</ref>

For much of its life the Coniston line was well-used by locals and visitors alike, with the branch passenger service connecting with main line trains at one end of the route and with steamer services on [[Coniston Water]] at the other. However it fell victim to road competition in the late 1950s, passenger services being withdrawn from 6 October 1958,<ref>{{Harvnb|Marshall|1981|p=112.}}</ref> and the line closing completely in 1962. The coast line remains in operation though, with the passenger trains supplemented by a number of freight services running to and from the [[nuclear reprocessing]] plant at [[Sellafield]], operated by [[Direct Rail Services]].
[[File:Foxfield station, 1951 (geograph 5203508).jpg|thumb|right|The station, as photographed in August 1951.]]

Though the platform buildings have mostly been demolished, the timber signal box and attached waiting shelter is still in use. The old water tower and main building on the opposite side of the southbound line also still stand.<ref>[https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3563604 Foxfield railway station] Thompson, Nigel ''geograph.org''; Retrieved 1 December 2016</ref>

==Facilities==
The station is unstaffed, but has now been equipped with a ticket vending machine to allow travellers to purchase tickets prior to joining the train.<ref>[http://www.crug.org.uk/fares-2019/ "Fares 2019"]''Cumbrian Coast Rail Users Group'' news article; Retrieved 8 November 2019</ref> Train running details are available by telephone, digital information displays and timetable posters; the [[National Rail]] website also states that public wi-fi access is available there.  Step-free access to the platform is via a foot level crossing by the signal box.<ref>[http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations/fox/details.html Foxfield station facilities] ''National Rail Enquiries''; Retrieved 1 December 2016</ref>

==Services==
{{Northern (train operating company) route 6}}
There is an approximately hourly service in each direction from the station on Monday to Saturdays – southwards to [[Barrow-in-Furness railway station|Barrow-in-Furness]] and northwards to [[Millom railway station|Millom]]. Most northbound ones run through to and from [[Whitehaven railway station|Whitehaven]] and [[Carlisle railway station|Carlisle]] though one runs as far as [[Sellafield railway station|Sellafield]]. A few trains continue beyond {{stnlnk|Barrow-in-Furness}} to [[Lancaster railway station|Lancaster]] or to {{rws|Preston}}.

A Sunday service was introduced at the May 2018 timetable change - the first for more than forty years.<ref>{{NRtimes|December 2019|100}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
{{refbegin}}
*{{Citation | last = Andrews| first = Michael| last2 = Holme| first2 = Geoff| year = 2005| title = The Coniston Railway| publication-place = Pinner| publisher = Cumbrian Railways Association| isbn = 0-9540232-3-4}}
*{{Citation | last = Marshall| first = J.| year = 1981| title = Forgotten Railways: North-West England| publication-place = Newton Abbott| publisher = David & Charles| isbn = 0-7153-8003-6}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{portal|Cumbria}}
* {{commons-inline}}
* {{stn art lnk|FOX|LA206BX}}

{{rail start}}
{{rail line|previous={{rws|Green Road}}|next={{rws|Kirkby-in-Furness}}|route=[[Northern Trains]]<br />{{small|[[Cumbrian Coast line]]}}|col={{Northern colour}}}}
{{Historical Rail Insert}}
{{rail line|route=[[Coniston Railway]]|col={{MR colour}}|previous={{rws|Broughton-in-Furness}}}}
{{rail line|route=[[Furness Railway]]|col={{MR colour}}|next={{rws|Kirkby-in-Furness}}}}
{{rail line|route=[[Whitehaven and Furness Junction Railway]]|col={{MR colour}}|previous={{rws|Green Road}}}}
{{s-end}}

{{Cumbria railway stations}}
{{Railway stations served by Northern Trains}}

[[Category:Furness]]
[[Category:Railway stations in Cumbria]]
[[Category:DfT Category F2 stations]]
[[Category:Former Furness Railway stations]]
[[Category:Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1848]]
[[Category:Railway stations served by Northern]]
[[Category:Paley and Austin buildings]]