Carnforth railway station

Carnforth railway station was opened in 1846 by the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway (L&CR). It had a single platform and was a second-class station. It became a junction in 1857 when the Ulverston and Lancaster Railway arrived from the northwest, the station was its southern terminus. The Furness Railway took over the U&LR in 1862 and became the second major company operating to Carnforth.

The station was enlarged during the 1870s and in 1880 received trains from the Midland Railway following the commissioning of a south-to-east direct curve to the Furness and Midland Joint Railway that created a triangular junction. The L&CR was taken over by the London and North Western Railway (LNWR). Carnforth Station was operated under a joint management by the Furness and LNWR compnies - the Midland having Running Powers into the station. Station personnel wore a uniform with the initials CJS for Carnforth: Joint Station. The Furness Railway erected a distinctive stone-built signal box to the north-west of the station in 1882, used until 1903, and this survives preserved as a listed building.

A major rebuilding project, including a 300-yard long platform (currently used by northbound services), started in 1938 with government funding. With the opening of the new Platform on 3rd July 1939, it brought the number of platforms in use to six. In 1942, the government approved the rebuilding of Carnforth MPD into a major regional railway depot - the work being completed in 1944.

The film Brief Encounter was partly filmed at the station in February 1945. The station clock became a powerful icon through repeated use in the film.

The booking office is staffed part-time (six days per week, closed Sundays & public holidays) - it is run by an independent retailer on behalf of the local authority but sells a full range of National Rail tickets.[3] Both platforms have waiting rooms and step-free access (by the aforementioned subway ramps) from the station entrance, whilst train running information is provided by automated P.A announcements, timetable posters and digital information screens.

There is also a micropub called The Snug which was the first of its kind to be set up in the North West and has been in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide[4] They host an annual beer festival inside the Heritage Centre in mid to late November.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Carnforth railway station.

Carnforth is served by Northern, who operate the following routes:

• regional express services from Manchester Airport to Barrow-in-Furness via the Furness Line (eight each way)[5] using Class 156s, Class 158s and since July 2019 the new Class 195 Civity units.[6]
• local services along the Furness Line to Barrow-in-Furness (hourly) and the Leeds to Morecambe Line to Skipton and Leeds (eight trains per day each way Mon-Sat, five on Sundays).[7] Some services continue beyond Barrow to Millom or Carlisle via the Cumbrian Coast Line. Northern services are operated using Class 153 and 156 diesel multiple-unit trains and occasional Class 142 on the Furness line while the Leeds line is operated by 150 units and Class 158 sets (the latter now appear on most services since the winter 2019 timetable was implemented and withdrawal of Pacer units began). A single early-morning direct service to Morecambe (using the north curve at Hest Bank) operates from here on weekdays as a Parliamentary train to provide a statutory minimum service over this stretch of railway.

When the current Northern franchise began in April 2016, all Furness Line services were transferred to a single operator, Northern, including those previously operated by First TransPennine Express. Management of the stations on the route, including Carnforth, has also been transferred as part of the franchise changeover. The timetable will be improved from 18-20 trains per day to 21 each way and more through trains to and from Manchester Airport (from four to eight, marketed under the 'Northern Connect' brand).[8]

To the west of the station lies Carnforth MPD, which is also the headquarters of West Coast Railways.

• Listed buildings in Carnforth

• Train times and station information for Carnforth railway station from National Rail
• Carnforth Station Heritage Centre

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Bare Lane		Northern Trains Lancaster - Morecambe (Limited service)		Lancaster
Silverdale		Northern Trains Furness Line		Lancaster
Arnside		Northern Trains Barrow-in-Furness - Manchester Airport		Lancaster
Silverdale (limited service)
Wennington		Northern Trains Leeds to Morecambe Line		Lancaster
	Historical railways
Burton and Holme		Lancaster and Carlisle Railway		Bolton-le-Sands
Silverdale Line and station open		Furness Railway Ulverston and Lancaster Railway		Bolton-le-Sands Line open, station closed
Borwick		Furness and Midland Joint Railway		Bolton-le-Sands