It was opened in 1843 by the Maryport and Carlisle Railway, with trains running through to Maryport from the beginning of the following year. It became an unstaffed halt in 1967, but has kept its period stone waiting shelter on the northbound platform, lattice footbridge[1] and main buildings on the opposite side (the latter are in private commercial use). It is also one of the last active freight locations on this route - an oil terminal on the eastern side of the line just south of the station receives regular trainloads of fuel oil from Grangemouth Refinery in Scotland. Two crossovers operated from ground frames located at the station are used for shunting purposes when trains require access to the terminal sidings.
Facilities
Along with most other stations on the line, it is unstaffed, meaning that passengers need to purchase tickets on the train.[2] Step-free access is available to both platforms and train running information is provided by telephone and timetable posters. Digital information screens and a ticket machine are also being installed by Northern in 2019 as part of a rolling station improvement plan in the area.
Following the May 2021 timetable change, the station is served by an hourly service between Carlisle and Barrow-in-Furness, with some trains continuing to Lancaster. During the evening, the station is served by an hourly service between Carlisle and Whitehaven. All services are operated by Northern Trains.[3]
In May 2018, Northern introduced a Sunday service between Whitehaven and Barrow-in-Furness, the first Sunday service to operate south of Whitehaven for over 40 years.[4][5]
^ abStations in Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, and Stockton-on-Tees are considered part of North East England, while stations in the unitary areas of York and North Yorkshire are considered part of Yorkshire and the Humber.
^Stations in North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire are considered part of Yorkshire and the Humber, while all other stations are considered part of the East Midlands.