Workington railway station
Encyclopedia
Workington railway station serves the town of Workington
in Cumbria
, England
. The railway station
is a stop on the scenic Cumbrian Coast Line
53 kilometres (32.9 mi) south west of Carlisle
. Some through trains to the Furness Line
and to Sunderland
stop here. It is operated by Northern Rail
who provide all passenger train services.
lines in 1866. The Workington station in its present form was first known as Workington LNWR then at the grouping it was renamed Workington Main. With the end of steam the station then was referred to as 'Workington' railway station. Trains from the Cockermouth and Keswick
direction ended with the closure of that branch to all traffic in April 1966, the line having fallen victim to the Beeching Axe
.
bricks and had four tracks running though the station. Two of the tracks which are not served by platforms were once used to stable Travelling Post Office
carriages. There was also a twelve road engine shed, wagon repair shops, a coaling stage, a goods shed and a stable block, all built with local sandstone. In LMS
days, a new turntable was installed behind the engine shed. In British Railways days the engine shed was rebuilt with a new roof and ferro concrete coaling stage and an ash disposal plant was built near to the new turntable. The road approach to the station entrance was remodelled in BR days when the highways near to the station was upgraded.
built a temporary additional station
1 miles (1.6 km) from the existing station on waste ground off the A596 adjacent to a business park. An additional hourly shuttle train (composed of a locomotive and at least three former inter-city mainline coaches) operated by Cumbrian-based Direct Rail Services
(DRS) on behalf of Northern Rail, running from Workington northbound to Maryport
was created in the aftermath of the floods. This service started on 30 November 2009 and ran until 28 May 2010. It was initially funded by the Department for Transport
at a cost of £216,000. All services between Workington and Maryport were free of charge for this period.
with some trains going onwards to Barrow-in-Furness
. Following the 2009 floods, an hourly shuttle service is operational northbound stopping at stations to Maryport
. On Sundays there are three trains a day between Carlisle and Whitehaven.
Workington
Workington is a town, civil parish and port on the west coast of Cumbria, England, at the mouth of the River Derwent. Lying within the Borough of Allerdale, Workington is southwest of Carlisle, west of Cockermouth, and southwest of Maryport...
in Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The railway station
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
is a stop on the scenic Cumbrian Coast Line
Cumbrian Coast Line
The Cumbrian Coast Line is a rail route in North West England, running from Carlisle to Barrow-in-Furness via Workington and Whitehaven. The line forms part of Network Rail route NW 4033, which continues via Ulverston and Grange-over-Sands to Carnforth, where it connects with the West Coast Main...
53 kilometres (32.9 mi) south west of Carlisle
Carlisle railway station
Carlisle railway station, also known as Carlisle Citadel station, is a railway station whichserves the Cumbrian City of Carlisle, England, and is a major station on the West Coast Main Line, lying south of Glasgow Central, and north of London Euston...
. Some through trains to the Furness Line
Furness Line
The Furness Line, in North West England, runs from Barrow-in-Furness to Ulverston and Grange-over-Sands, connecting with the West Coast Main Line at Carnforth...
and to Sunderland
Sunderland station
Sunderland Station is a National Rail and Tyne and Wear Metro station in the city centre of Sunderland, North East England. It is the only station in the country where both heavy rail and light rail services use the same platforms...
stop here. It is operated by Northern Rail
Northern Rail
Northern Rail is a British train operating company that has operated local passenger services in Northern England since 2004. Northern Rail's owner, Serco-Abellio, is a consortium formed of Abellio and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems...
who provide all passenger train services.
History
The present station is the second one to occupy the site. The first one was built at the opening of the original line and replaced by the London & North Western Railway who took over the Whitehaven Junction and Workington & CockermouthCockermouth and Workington Railway
The Cockermouth & Workington Railway was a railway between the towns of Workington and Cockermouth established by Act of Parliament in 1845. A single-tracked line of eight and a half miles length, it was built primarily to carry coals from the pits of West Cumberland to the port at Workington for...
lines in 1866. The Workington station in its present form was first known as Workington LNWR then at the grouping it was renamed Workington Main. With the end of steam the station then was referred to as 'Workington' railway station. Trains from the Cockermouth and Keswick
Keswick, Cumbria
Keswick is a market town and civil parish within the Borough of Allerdale in Cumbria, England. It had a population of 4,984, according to the 2001 census, and is situated just north of Derwent Water, and a short distance from Bassenthwaite Lake, both in the Lake District National Park...
direction ended with the closure of that branch to all traffic in April 1966, the line having fallen victim to the Beeching Axe
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
.
Layout
The station was built with yellow CreweCrewe
Crewe is a railway town within the unitary authority area of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 census the urban area had a population of 67,683...
bricks and had four tracks running though the station. Two of the tracks which are not served by platforms were once used to stable Travelling Post Office
Travelling Post Office
A Travelling Post Office was a type of mail train in the UK where the post was sorted en-route. The last Travelling Post Office services were ended on 9 January 2004, with the carriages used now sold for scrap or to preservation societies....
carriages. There was also a twelve road engine shed, wagon repair shops, a coaling stage, a goods shed and a stable block, all built with local sandstone. In LMS
London, Midland and Scottish Railway
The London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four...
days, a new turntable was installed behind the engine shed. In British Railways days the engine shed was rebuilt with a new roof and ferro concrete coaling stage and an ash disposal plant was built near to the new turntable. The road approach to the station entrance was remodelled in BR days when the highways near to the station was upgraded.
Temporary Workington North station
As a consequence of the November 2009 Great Britain and Ireland floods, Network RailNetwork Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
built a temporary additional station
Workington North railway station
Workington North railway station was a temporary railway station in Cumbria, United Kingdom, constructed following floods which cut all road access to Workington town centre from north of the River Derwent...
1 miles (1.6 km) from the existing station on waste ground off the A596 adjacent to a business park. An additional hourly shuttle train (composed of a locomotive and at least three former inter-city mainline coaches) operated by Cumbrian-based Direct Rail Services
Direct Rail Services
Direct Rail Services is a freight operating company created by British Nuclear Fuels Limited. The company started rail operations in 1995 using five heavily refurbished Class 20/3 diesel locomotives. Since then it has expanded greatly, and has acquired many more locomotives, most bought...
(DRS) on behalf of Northern Rail, running from Workington northbound to Maryport
Maryport railway station
Maryport Railway Station serves the town of Maryport in Cumbria, England. The railway station is a stop on the scenic Cumbrian Coast Line south west of Carlisle. It is operated by Northern Rail who provide all passenger train services...
was created in the aftermath of the floods. This service started on 30 November 2009 and ran until 28 May 2010. It was initially funded by the Department for Transport
Department for Transport
In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
at a cost of £216,000. All services between Workington and Maryport were free of charge for this period.
Service
There is generally an hourly service northbound to Carlisle and southbound to WhitehavenWhitehaven railway station
Whitehaven Railway Station serves the town of Whitehaven in Cumbria, England. The railway station is a stop on the scenic Cumbrian Coast Line south west of Carlisle....
with some trains going onwards to Barrow-in-Furness
Barrow-in-Furness railway station
Barrow-in-Furness railway station is a railway station that serves the town of Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria, England. It is located on the Furness Line to Lancaster and the Cumbrian Coast Line to Workington and Carlisle...
. Following the 2009 floods, an hourly shuttle service is operational northbound stopping at stations to Maryport
Maryport railway station
Maryport Railway Station serves the town of Maryport in Cumbria, England. The railway station is a stop on the scenic Cumbrian Coast Line south west of Carlisle. It is operated by Northern Rail who provide all passenger train services...
. On Sundays there are three trains a day between Carlisle and Whitehaven.