Matlock Bath railway station

Matlock Bath railway station is a Grade II listed railway station owned by Network Rail and managed by East Midlands Railway. It is located in the village of Matlock Bath in Derbyshire, England. The station is unmanned by rail staff and is located on the Derwent Valley Line, 16.25 mi north of Derby towards Matlock.

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

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%.

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 and 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.

Stationmasters

 * David Ritchie ca. 1849 ca. 1853
 * Robert Skirrow ca. 1857 - 1860
 * W. Jordan 1860 - 1861
 * William Rich 1861 - ca. 1864
 * Charles Ward ca. 1870 - 1885
 * William Richardson 1885 - 1898 (afterwards station master at Buxton)
 * Albert C. Bilham 1898 - 1907 (formerly station master at Bakewell)
 * Frank Porter 1907 - ???? (formerly station master at Bakewell)
 * Henry Lovatt ca. 1911 - 1914
 * John Allen 1914 - 1923
 * William Edward Parsons 1923 - 1931 (formerly station master at Duffield)
 * George White 1931 - 1947
 * William Rosling 1947 - 1968

Services
All services at Matlock Bath are operated by East Midlands Railway using DMUs.

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.

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. Network Rail 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.