Morecambe railway station


Morecambe is a railway station on the Morecambe Branch Line, which runs between and. The station, situated west of Lancaster, serves the town of Morecambe in Lancashire. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.

History

The current truncated two-platform station was opened on 29 May 1994, replacing the Midland Railway's earlier terminus,, which was situated further west, closer to the town's seafront.
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

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 away at a junction east of station. Services access the Heysham section by means of a ground frame at the junction, which is released by Preston signalling centre and operated by the train crew.
The ticket office is staffed from the early morning until mid-afternoon, six days per week. 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. There is step-free access to the platform from the station entrance and ticket office.

Services

Northern Trains operate the following services:
The token direct trains to that ran up until the summer 2019 timetable change have now been withdrawn.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 and the curve in question.

Future improvements

Northern's franchise agreement includes provision for additional trains on the Leeds route - three additional weekday services were introduced from May 2018 and one additional train each way on Sundays.