Engineering work during February and March will mean rail replacement buses will operate on Sundays between various stations.  Following discussions between Northern and Dalesbus the buses operating between Ribblehead and Garsdale will stop in Hawes as detailed below.

The latest programme of guided walks for January to June 2013 has been published and leaflets giving full details of all the walks are being distributed to stations, tourist information offices, and other outlets etc.

Rucksack Readers have recently published a brand new book detailing a walk that follows the entire S&C from Settle to Carlisle.

It's written by Vivienne Crow, a freelance writer and photographer with a passion for the outdoors.  Based in north Cumbria, she has written or co-authored more than a dozen guidebooks.  Readers of the Cumberland News will be familiar with her weekly articles on walks in the Lake District and further afield. 

We’re delighted that, from December,
there will be an extra Sunday service
in each direction between Leeds and
Carlisle. We’ve long hoped for this as
Sunday trains can be quite busy throughout
the year. The start from Sheffield in the
morning and termination at Nottingham
in the evening is an unexpected bonus
and a small step towards our aspiration
for a through service from Nottingham to
Glasgow.

Northern Rail have announced a great offer for holders of Dales Railcards. Between 5 November and 24 February, a flat-fare day return ticket for only £7.00 and you can take up to 4 accompanying children for £3.50 each.

Following this morning's closure of the line due to weather/track conditions, the line has re-opened.

Trains will continue to be the subject of some delays and cancellations.

Check live departure boards at http://www.northernrail.org/travel/livedepartures

Heavy rain overnight has caused flooding in Stainforth Tunnel and in the Smardale area, leading to cancellation of all northbound trains as at 9 am. 

At Smardale the down line is blocked by 300 yards of floodwater.  There is a report of a landslip affecting the up line.

if it's any consolation the East Coast Main Line is also blocked.

Richard Morris, FoSCL Chairman, and Douglas Hodgins, Chairman of the Settle-Carlisle Railway Development Company, were privileged to spend half an hour with Theresa Villiers, Minister of State for Transport, together with John Stevenson, MP for Carlisle.  It's thanks to him and his PA Hannah that we got in to see the Minister at all.

The popularity of the “Fellsman” trains running every Wednesday through the summer from Lancaster, Preston, Blackburn, Clitheroe & Long Preston continue unabated for its fourth season with the first eight trains all fully booked and over 440 passengers on each, the remaining two trains on 22nd and 29th August only having a handful of standard class seats remaining with Premier and First Class selling out weeks ago.

Torrential downpours across northern England on Thursday 27th June caused landslides between Lancaster and Carlisle, closing the West Coast Main Line.  The East Coast Main Line was also closed near Berwick.  The only north-south through route remaining open was the Settle-Carlisle Line.