Passengers can travel on ‘Britain’s most beautiful rail journey’ for £1.50 this year
The 150-year-old line almost closed in the 1980s but campaigners helped save the picturesque route
Konoly
Passengers can travel on one of the UK’s most beautiful railway journeys for just £1.50 this year.
A series of events is being organised to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Settle-Carlisle line, which runs through the Pennines, the Yorkshire Dales and Cumbria’s Eden Valley.
To mark the occasion, railway company Northern is planning to offer thousands of £1.50 tickets to customers travelling on the route in the coming months.
More details will be announced on how customers can grab these tickets.
Separately, the Settle Carlisle Railway Development Company will be running a chartered steam train between Carlisle and York on Monday, 25 May.
The steam train will depart from Carlisle at around 7.45am and will travel south to the picturesque countryside, with pick up stops at Appleby, Settle and Skipton before arriving in York.
The train will travel past Yorkshire’s Three Peaks and over the 24 arches of the iconic Ribblehead Viaduct.
After arriving in York, passengers will have several hours to explore the historic city before rejoining the steam train for a return journey to Carlisle, arriving at 10.10pm.
The company has requested the Battle of Britain Class “Tangmere” locomotive for the outing.
Pete Myers, chair of the Settle Carlisle Railway Development Company, said: “The Settle-Carlisle line is unique, connecting communities from Yorkshire through to Cumbria and also providing a sustainable and beautiful way for visitors to explore the Yorkshire Dales, Westmorland Dales and Lake District.
“In our special anniversary year, we are working closely with communities along the line to provide a host of events for visitors and locals to enjoy, and all accessible via our award-winning line."
The Settle-Carlisle route, which covers 72 miles, 14 tunnels and more than 20 viaducts, opened to passengers in May 1876.
British Rail announced plans to close the line in 1983, but the Minister for Transport at the time, Michael Portillo, agreed to step in and save the line after a campaign by activists.
Northern reported it recorded almost one million (995,000) passenger journeys on the line in 2025, its highest annual total since the Covid pandemic.
Alex Hornby, Northern’s commercial and customer director, predicts that the 150th anniversary will help them beat this number in 2026.
“It’s easy to see why this line is so popular and we’re confident we will see more than one million journeys this year,” he said.
“We’re delighted to see that it’s been rightly recognised as one of the most scenic trips in Europe and we’re looking forward to the celebrations marking the 150th anniversary.”
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