Morecambe railway station
Morecambe is a railway station on the Morecambe Branch Line, which runs between Lancaster and Heysham Port. The station, situated 4 miles (6 km) west of Lancaster, serves the town of Morecambe in Lancashire. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.
Morecambe  | |
|---|---|
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| General information | |
| Location | Morecambe, City of Lancaster England |
| Coordinates | 54°04′13″N 2°52′07″W |
| Grid reference | SD432641 |
| Owned by | Network Rail |
| Managed by | Northern Trains |
| Platforms | 2 |
| Tracks | 3 (1 bay platform) |
| Other information | |
| Station code | MCM |
| Classification | DfT category F1 |
| History | |
| Original company | Railtrack |
| Key dates | |
| 29 May 1994 | Opened |
| Passengers | |
| 2017/18 |  0.226 million |
| 2018/19 | 0.196 million |
| 2019/20 |  0.208 million |
| 2020/21 | 44,778 |
| 2021/22 | 0.147 million |
| Location | |
  Morecambe Location in Morecambe, City of Lancaster  Morecambe Location in City of Lancaster, Lancashire  Morecambe Location in Lancashire, England | |
| Notes | |
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road | |
The current truncated two-platform station was opened on 29 May 1994, replacing the Midland Railway's earlier terminus, Morecambe Promenade, which was situated some 400 m (440 yd) further west, closer to the town's seafront.
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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, which opened in 1851 and closed in March 1907. It was located almost exactly on the same site as the current station and ticket office.
Facilities
Services are operated by a 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 (2.6 km) away at a junction east of Bare Lane station. Heysham services (currently one return trip to Lancaster Mondays-Saturdays, 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]
Services
Northern Trains Route 7 |
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Bentham Line and Settle and Carlisle Line |
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]
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 Carnforth that ran up until the summer 2019 timetable change (one early morning 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 and 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]
References
- Morecambe station Visit North West; Retrieved 1 December 2016
- Morecambe station facilities National Rail Enquiries; Retrieved 1 December 2016
- Table 106 National Rail timetable, May 2023
- Table 35 National Rail timetable, May 2023
- Passenger trains over Unusual Lines 2019 website Archived 3 August 2020 at the Wayback Machine Maund, R, Retrieved 6 June 2019
- "Northern Franchise Improvements - DfT". Archived from the original on 5 May 2016. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
External links
Media related to Morecambe railway station at Wikimedia Commons- Train times and station information for Morecambe railway station from National Rail
| Preceding station | National Rail |
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bare Lane | Northern Trains Morecambe Branch Line |
Heysham Port | ||
| Terminus | ||||
Railway stations in Lancashire | |
|---|---|
| West Coast Main Line | |
| Kirkby branch line | |
| Manchester–Southport line | |
| Merseyrail Northern line | |
| Ormskirk branch line | |
| Blackpool branch lines | |
| Manchester–Preston line | |
| Ribble Valley line | |
| East Lancashire line | |
| Calder Valley line | |
| Leeds–Morecambe line | |
| Furness line | |
| Heritage railways | |
 Disused stations | |