Place Ulverston Station code ULV DfT category E Opened 1857 | Grid reference SD284778 Managed by Northern 2011/12 0.225 million Number of platforms 2 | |
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Address Ulverston LA12 0DP, United Kingdom Similar Askam railway station, Kents Bank railway station, Dalton railway station, Grange‑over‑Sands railway station, Cark and Cartmel railway st | ||
Ulverston railway station
Ulverston railway station is a Grade II listed railway station that serves the town of Ulverston in Cumbria, England.
Contents
It is located on the Furness Line from Barrow-in-Furness to Lancaster. It is operated by Northern, who replaced former manager First TransPennine Express at the beginning of April 2016.
It is served by local services operated by Northern from Lancaster to Barrow-in-Furness (with some continuing to Sellafield or Carlisle via the Cumbrian Coast Line) and by semi-fast services from Preston and Manchester Airport. From December 2017, these will operate on an improved frequency (eight through trains to/from Manchester Airport per day instead of the current four).
The current buildings are architecturally noteworthy and date from 1873, when they were rebuilt as befitting one of the main stations of the Furness Railway. The clock tower and glass awnings and supporting decorative ironwork, now extensively restored and repainted, are particularly fine. The passenger waiting room retains many period features.
History
The Furness Railway's line from Barrow & Dalton-in-Furness was the first railway to serve the town, being completed on 7 June 1854. Three years later the Ulverston and Lancaster Railway opened the line southwards to Carnforth via Arnside and built a new through station on the current site, which opened on 26 August 1857, leaving the old FR terminus to be used as a goods depot. The Furness Railway then took over the Ulverston & Lancaster company in 1862.
The unusual platform layout (where the northbound line has a face on both sides) is a legacy of the station's former role as the interchange for the branch line to Lakeside, which diverged from the main line at Plumpton Junction a few miles to the south before heading north-eastwards through Haverthwaite to its terminus at Lakeside on the southern shore of Lake Windermere. The island platform allowed easy cross-platform interchange for those passengers travelling from the south changing onto the connecting service to Lakeside whilst those wishing to exit the station could do so by alighting on the opposite side platform. Today only platforms one and three are used.
The branch opened on 1 June 1869 and was well-patronised from the outset in the summer months by tourists, who could make a convenient transfer to the Windermere steamboats at Lakeside. The line was much quieter in winter though and year-round services ended in the autumn of 1938 - passenger trains thereafter running only during the summer. This continued until 6 September 1965, when the line fell victim to the Beeching Axe. Its northern end was subsequently reopened on 2 May 1973 as the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway but the remainder was lifted in the early seventies and the trackbed used for improvements to the A590 road (over which passengers must continue their journey if heading to Lakeside today).
Facilities
The station is fully staffed throughout the week (except in the late evening); the booking office and waiting room is located in the main building on platform 1 and a ticket machine is also available in this building.
In 2007 new digital information screens were installed allowing passengers to see the status and timing of their train. These screens spent most of the New Year and Christmas period of 2007 and 2008 showing a Christmas message. These signs showed these messages until at least mid February 2008 but are now fully operational. Help points and an automated P.A system are also provided. The platforms are linked by a subway, but there is no step-free access to either platform.
Services
There is normally one train per hour in each direction to Barrow and Lancaster on Monday to Saturday daytimes (with some peak period extras), although the varying nature of the services involved (some are limited stop, others call at all intermediate stations) means that gaps between departures aren't regular (they can be anywhere between 30 and 90 minutes). The former TPE trains continue southbound to Lancaster, Preston and Manchester Airport (plus one to Blackpool North, Mon-Fri) (except for one service that reverses at Morecambe and heads north to Windermere) whilst the local stopping services normally terminate at Lancaster. Northbound there are four through trains each day beyond Barrow to Carlisle via Whitehaven and one to Millom (connections for Cumbrian Coast stations are available at Barrow at other times).
In the evenings and on Sundays, there is a two-hourly all-stations service in each direction (no service north of Barrow on Sundays).