Lancaster railway station

For other uses, see Lancaster station (disambiguation).

Lancaster railway station (formerly Lancaster Castle railway station) is a railway station that serves the city of Lancaster, in Lancashire, England. It is one of the principal stations on the West Coast Main Line, located 20 miles 78 chains (33.76 km) north of Preston.^[2]

Lancaster
General information
Location	Lancaster, City of Lancaster England
Coordinates	54°02′56″N 02°48′26″W
Grid reference	SD472617
Managed by	Avanti West Coast
Platforms	5
Other information
Station code	LAN
Classification	DfT category B
History
Original company	Lancaster and Carlisle Railway
Pre-grouping	London and North Western Railway
Post-grouping	London, Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
22 September 1846	Opened as Lancaster Castle[1]
1902	Remodelled
5 May 1969	Renamed Lancaster[1]
Passengers
2019/20	2.193 million
Interchange	0.384 million
2020/21	0.521 million
Interchange	54,003
2021/22	1.659 million
Interchange	0.261 million
2022/23	1.830 million
Interchange	0.382 million
2023/24	1.964 million
Interchange	0.455 million
Location Lancaster Location in Lancaster city centre Show map of Lancaster city centre Lancaster Location in Lancaster Show map of Lancaster Lancaster Location in the City of Lancaster district Show map of the City of Lancaster district Lancaster Location in Lancashire Show map of Lancashire
Notes Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

History

The 1852 extension includes a relief carving of the coat of arms of Lancaster

Originally known as Lancaster Castle, in order to distinguish it from the Lancaster Greaves station (1840–1849), Lancaster station was officially opened on 21 September 1846. The first public service ran into the station on 17 December the same year. It was built as the southern terminus of the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway after the initial planned route for the line was changed in favour of a cheaper route west of the city; it would have followed the Lancaster Canal and crossed the River Lune from Ladies Walk to Skerton.

The station was remodelled in 1900-1906 when additional lines and platforms were added and further station buildings constructed.^[3] The new buildings were styled mock-Elizabethan with the intention of mirroring the battlements of the nearby Lancaster Castle. Platforms 5 and 6 (on the east side of the station) were electrified in 1908 to serve the now-closed "Little" North Western Railway route to Morecambe and Heysham. This line closed in January 1966 and the overhead line equipment was removed.

The track layout in the station area was rationalised in 1973, when control of the signalling was transferred to the new Preston power signal box. This included the removal of the track from platform 6, although this platform had seen no regular use for some time prior to this. The West Coast Main Line through Lancaster was electrified in 1974 and regular electric passenger services commenced here on 7 May 1974.

In 2023, upgrades to the platforms canopies were announced as part of a £9.5 million investment into the station, with work continuing into 2025.^[4]

Description

The main building, constructed in 1846 by William Tite, was situated on the west side of the line in Tudor Revival style using roughly squared sandstone rubble. This two-storey building was extended southwards in 1852 in similar style, although this section terminated in a tower of three storeys. A new entrance was constructed in 1900 on the eastern side of the line at footbridge level; this is nearer the town and houses the remaining ticket office.^[3]

Facilities

The booking office is open throughout the week, closing only in the late evening; ticket machines are also available. A full range of station facilities are offered, including a newsagents, a buffet, waiting rooms and toilets, with lifts between the footbridge and platforms to enable full accessibility for disabled passengers.^[5]

Layout

Platforms

Platforms 1 and 2

A view from Westborne Road bridge, looking over Lancaster railway station. Platforms 3 and 4 can be seen, with the two fast lines visible between them.

Platforms 1 and 2 are bay platforms which are used by terminating trains from the branch lines to Heysham Port and the Furness Line to Barrow-in-Furness, which continues to the Cumbria Coast Line to Carlisle.

Platform 3

The main entrance through the original station building opens onto platform 3, which is used mostly by northbound services on the West Coast Main Line.

Through lines

Between platforms 3 and 4, there are two through lines. They are used by non-stop passenger services and freight trains in both directions.

Platform 4

A Virgin Trains service to London Euston arriving at platform 4 in May 2015

Platform 4 is an island platform with a second face, used principally for southbound trains on the West Coast Main Line.

Platform 5

Used by northbound and southbound trains and for terminating services.

Platform information

All platforms are bidirectionally signalled for arrivals and departures in either direction. Opposite platform 5 are the remains of platform 6, which has no track and has been out of use since 1973.

Services

A First TransPennine Express Class 350, at platform 4, waiting to travel south to Manchester Airport in May 2015

Lancaster is served by three train operating companies:

• Avanti West Coast operates express trains from London Euston to Edinburgh Waverley and to Glasgow Central, using Class 390 Pendolinos. Peak services to and from London Euston terminate and start at Lancaster or Carlisle. A few services to/from Crewe also start/terminate at Lancaster.^[6][7]

• TransPennine Express operates regional express services from Manchester Airport, Liverpool Lime Street and Preston to Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Central, via the West Coast Main Line, using Class 397 EMUs.^[8]

A Northern Class 195 train on a service to Barrow-in-Furness stops beneath the station's West Road bridge, July 2021

• Northern Trains operates local and regional services along the following lines, using diesel multiple units (DMUs) of Classes 150, 153, 156, 158 and 195s:^[9]
  • Furness line to Barrow-in-Furness and then on to Carlisle via the Cumbrian Coast line
  • Windermere branch line to Windermere, via the West Coast Main Line to Oxenholme Lake District
  • Morecambe branch line to Morecambe and Heysham Port; nuclear flask trains serving Heysham power station are the other main users of this line
  • Leeds–Morecambe line to Skipton and Leeds.

v t e Morecambe, Lancaster and Heysham Port
Legend
West Coast Main Line Bare Lane Lancaster Morecambe Heysham Port West Coast Main Line

Northern Trains Route 6
v t e
Cumbrian Coast, Furness & Windermere lines
Carlisle Dalston Wigton Aspatria Maryport Flimby Workington Harrington Parton Whitehaven Corkickle St Bees Nethertown Braystones Sellafield Seascale Drigg Ravenglass Bootle Silecroft Millom Green Road Foxfield Kirkby-in-Furness Askam Barrow-in-Furness Roose Dalton Ulverston Cark & Cartmel Kents Bank Grange-over-Sands Arnside Silverdale Carnforth Windermere Staveley Burneside Kendal Oxenholme Lake District Lancaster Preston Chorley Bolton Deansgate Manchester Oxford Road Manchester Piccadilly Manchester Airport
Braystones & Nethertown are request stops.

Northern Trains Route 7
v t e
Settle & Carlisle & Bentham lines
Carlisle Armathwaite Lazonby & Kirkoswald Langwathby Appleby Kirkby Stephen Garsdale Dent Ribblehead Horton-in-Ribblesdale Settle Heysham Port Morecambe Bare Lane Lancaster Carnforth Wennington Bentham Clapham Giggleswick Long Preston Hellifield Gargrave Skipton Keighley Bingley Shipley Leeds

Preceding station		National Rail		Following station
Penrith North Lakes		Avanti West Coast West Coast Main Line		Preston
Oxenholme Lake District
Penrith North Lakes		TransPennine Express TransPennine North West Edinburgh Waverley / Glasgow Central - Manchester Airport
Oxenholme Lake District
Carlisle		TransPennine Express TransPennine North West Glasgow Central - Liverpool Lime Street
Penrith North Lakes
Oxenholme Lake District
Carnforth		Northern Trains Furness Line / Barrow-in-Furness		Terminus
		Northern Trains Leeds to Morecambe Line		Bare Lane
Terminus		Northern Trains Morecambe Branch Line
Carnforth		Northern Trains Barrow-in-Furness - Manchester Airport		Preston
Oxenholme Lake District		Northern Trains Windermere - Manchester Airport
	Historical railways
Hest Bank		Furness Railway		Terminus
Hest Bank		London and North Western Railway Lancaster and Carlisle Railway		Galgate
	Disused railways
Lancaster Green Ayre		Midland Railway "Little" North Western Railway		Terminus
Ashton Hall		London and North Western Railway Glasson Dock branch line		Terminus

See also

• Lancashire portal

• Listed buildings in Lancaster, Lancashire