Morecambe railway station

Morecambe railway station is a railway station that serves the town of Morecambe in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Morecambe Branch Line from Lancaster to Heysham. The current truncated two-platform station was opened in 1994 to replace the Midland Railway's earlier Morecambe Promenade terminus situated some 400 m (440 yd) further west, closer to the town's sea front. The old station building remains in use as a pub and restaurant, but its platforms have been demolished and the site is now occupied by a cinema and the Morecambe indoor market. That station was itself a replacement for the North Western Railway's original two-platform terminus at Northumberland Street (opened in 1851 and closed in March 1907), which was located almost exactly on the same site as the current station and ticket office.

For the station of the same name that closed in 1994, see Morecambe Promenade railway station.

Morecambe
Morecambe station platform in August 2020
LocationMorecambe, Lancaster
England
Coordinates54.070°N 2.870°W / 54.070; -2.870
Grid referenceSD432641
Managed byNorthern Trains
Platforms2
Other information
Station codeMCM
ClassificationDfT category F1
Key dates
29 May 1994Opened
Passengers
2015/16 0.235 million
2016/17 0.238 million
2017/18 0.226 million
2018/19 0.196 million
2019/20 0.208 million
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road
Morecambe,
Lancaster & Heysham Port
Bare Lane
Morecambe
Heysham Port
Lancaster

Facilities

Services are operated by variety of diesel multiple units, including Class 150, Class 156 and Class 158 sets.

Terminating passenger services usually run into Platform 1. However, trains to/from Heysham must use the Platform 2 line in order to reverse and gain access to the single track Heysham branch. The lines to Platforms 1 and 2 connect 1.6 miles away at a junction east of Bare Lane station. Heysham services (currently one return trip to Lancaster Mon-Sat, and one return trip to Leeds on Sundays) access the Heysham section by means of a ground frame at the junction which is released by Preston signalling centre (which has supervised the branch since the closure of Bare Lane signal box in December 2012) and operated by the train crew.

The ticket office is staffed from the early morning until mid-afternoon, six days per week (closed Sundays). Passengers can purchase tickets (or a permit to travel) from a ticket vending machine at the station at other times. A waiting shelter is provided, along with a P.A system and digital information screens.[1] There is step-free access to the platform from the station entrance and ticket office.[2]

A diagram of the current track layout, which was heavily rationalised since the closure of Promenade station in 1994

Services
Route 7:
Bentham Line and
Settle & Carlisle Line
 Carlisle
 Armathwaite
 Lazonby and Kirkoswald
 Langwathby
 Appleby
 Kirkby Stephen
 Garsdale
 Dent
 Ribblehead
 Horton-in-Ribblesdale
 Settle
Heysham Port
Morecambe
 Bare Lane
 Lancaster
 Carnforth
 Wennington
 Bentham
 Clapham
 Giggleswick
Long Preston
 Hellifield
 Gargrave
 Skipton
 Keighley
Bingley
 Shipley
 Leeds

The station is served by Northern local services, which operate as a regular Lancaster-Morecambe shuttle.[3] There are also five daily longer-distance services from Morecambe to Skipton and Leeds via the Leeds to Morecambe Line.[4]

Preceding station National Rail Following station
Terminus   Northern Trains
Morecambe Branch Line		   Bare Lane
Heysham Port
(Limited service)		    

Additionally, there is a limited service (one each way all week) to Heysham, connecting with the ferry to the Isle of Man. Trains for Heysham must reverse at Morecambe.

The token direct trains to Canforth that ran up until the summer 2019 timetable change (one early a.m Lancaster - Morecambe - Windermere train, plus one weekday and three Sunday services to Leeds) have now been withdrawn. The Parliamentary train legal minimum service for the Bare Lane to Hest Bank North Junction chord is now provided by an early morning train from Lancaster which runs via Carnforth (reverse) and the curve in question.[5]

Future Improvements

Northern's franchise agreement (started on 1 April 2016) includes provision for additional trains on the Leeds route - three additional weekday services were introduced from May 2018 (with trains timed to improve commuting & leisure opportunities at either end of the route) and one additional train each way on Sundays (the additional trains however start/terminate at Lancaster).[6] Pacer DMUs are planned to disappear from the route (and all other services in Northern England) by December 2019.[7]

References
  1. Morecambe station Visit North West; Retrieved 1 December 2016
  2. Morecambe station facilities National Rail Enquiries; Retrieved 1 December 2016
  3. Table 98 National Rail timetable, May 2019
  4. Table 42 National Rail timetable, May 2019
  5. Passenger trains over Unusual Lines 2019 website Maund, R, Retrieved 6 June 2019
  6. "Northern Franchise Improvements - DfT". Archived from the original on 5 May 2016. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  7. "New trains to replace north of England's ageing rolling stock by 2020". The Guardian. 27 February 2015.
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