Matlock railway station

Matlock railway station serves the Derbyshire Dales county town of Matlock, in Derbyshire, England. The station is the terminus of both the Derwent Valley Line from Derby and Peak Rail which operates heritage services to Rowsley South. Both lines are formed from portions of the Midland Railway's former main line to Manchester Central; through running is technically possible, but is not done in normal service. The station is owned by Network Rail and managed by East Midlands Railway.

Originally named Matlock Bridge, it was opened by the Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midland Junction Railway. The station saw its first passengers on 4 June 1849, when the line between Ambergate and Rowsley opened. The station buildings, designed by Sir Joseph Paxton, opened in 1850.

The station master's house is now grade 2 listed.

Leaving Matlock Bath, the line immediately passes into the series of High Tor tunnels, 321 yards (294 m), 58 yd (53 m) and 378 yd (346 m) long on the east side of the river, cut into the cliff side. Crossing the river and the main A6 road, the line passes through Holt Lane Tunnel (126 yd or 115 m) before entering Matlock station. Being cut through limestone, these tunnels have required a deal of maintenance over the years.

A double-track railway line used to continue from Matlock via Bakewell and Millers Dale, with a branch to Buxton; it continued on through Peak Forest to Chinley and ultimately Manchester Central. This section of the former Midland Railway's main line to Manchester Central was closed to passengers in 1968.

Contrary to popular belief, the line was not recommended for closure in part 1 of the Beeching report, The Reshaping of British Railways; however, in part 2, The Development of the Major Railway Trunk Routes, five routes over the Pennines were evaluated for future development and the Peak Forest line was not one of the two routes selected for enhancement. This, in combination with the electrification of the West Coast route from London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly, ultimately led to the closure of the route.

The last day of operation beyond Matlock was Saturday 29 June 1968, two months before regular main-line steam was fully abolished.

Part of the route north of Matlock is now preserved as a heritage railway by the railway preservation group Peak Rail.