MORE than a million passengers used the Lakes Line, according to estimates of station usage between April 2013 and March 2014.

The Office of Rail Regulation has produced estimates of station usage based on ticket sales data, the Lakes Line Rail User Group has reported in its winter bulletin.

Of the five stops on the branch line, figures for Oxenholme rose by 15,000 to 436,154, while numbers at Windermere Railway Station rose by 26,000 to 400,630.

Numbers at Burneside were 15,996 which is equivalent to being down by 1,500, numbers at Kendal increased by 6,000 to 230,522 and Staveley were up 2,000 to 49,656.

Robert Talbot, chairman of the Lakes Line Rail User Group, said: “The increase is approaching five per cent - in line with national growth.

“It is hard to explain why Burneside numbers are down, but possible reasons include a drop in the number of schoolchildren using the train, or a reduction in the number of tickets the conductor has sold on the short journey between Burneside and Kendal.

“Burneside residents might argue that the poor service, especially in the mornings when there are two-hour gaps between trains which stop there, is a factor, but Staveley has managed a rise despite the same gaps.”

The ORR figures seem to bear out the opinion of TPE staff, that our drop in passenger numbers recorded in the June survey was was an exception - their own figures have shown a continued rise in user numbers.”