Roa Island lies just over half a mile (1 km) south of the village of Rampside at the southernmost point of the Furness Peninsula in Cumbria, formerly in the county of Lancashire north of the sands.

Initially the line was open for goods traffic only, but on 24 August 1846 a passenger service was inaugurated.

At one point the railway company set up its own steamer service to Piel Pier, but following a dispute with Smith, diverted the sailings to nearby Barrow.

Before the deal could be completed a freak storm caused extensive damage to the pier.

A road linking Roa Island to Rampside has now taken the place of the railway tracks along the causeway.

Over the years it has served as a fisheries investigation laboratory and as army premises during World War II.

Roa Island is home to a lifeboat station of the RNLI, serving Morecambe Bay and the Irish Sea.