Penrith North Lakes (also shortened to Penrith) is a railway station on the West Coast Main Line, which runs between London Euston and Edinburgh Waverley or Glasgow Central. The station, situated 17 miles 69 chains (28.7 km) south of Carlisle, serves the market town of Penrith, Westmorland and Furness in Cumbria, England. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Avanti West Coast.
Penrith Penrith North Lakes  | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Penrith, Westmorland and Furness England | ||||
| Coordinates | 54°39′43″N 2°45′31″W / 54.6618860°N 2.7586794°W | ||||
| Grid reference | NY511299 | ||||
| Owned by | Network Rail | ||||
| Managed by | Avanti West Coast | ||||
| Platforms | 3 | ||||
| Tracks | 3 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | PNR | ||||
| Classification | DfT category D | ||||
| History | |||||
| Original company | Lancaster and Carlisle Railway | ||||
| Pre-grouping | London and North Western Railway | ||||
| Post-grouping | |||||
| Key dates | |||||
| 17 December 1846 | Opened as Penrith | ||||
| 1904 | Renamed Penrith for Ullswater Lake | ||||
| 6 May 1974 | Renamed Penrith | ||||
| 18 May 2003 | Renamed Penrith North Lakes | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2019/20 |  0.610 million | ||||
| Interchange |  0.222 million | ||||
| 2020/21 | 0.147 million | ||||
| Interchange | 19,295 | ||||
| 2021/22 | 0.506 million | ||||
| Interchange | 0.114 million | ||||
| 2022/23 | 0.491 million | ||||
| Interchange |  0.114 million | ||||
| 2023/24 | 0.610 million | ||||
| Interchange | 0.162 million | ||||
Listed Building – Grade II | |||||
| Feature | Original Lancaster and Carlisle Railway station buildings | ||||
| Designated | 9 February 1983 | ||||
| Reference no. | 1326905[1] | ||||
| |||||
| |||||
Background
edit
The station was built by the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway, and opened on 17 December 1846.[2] The station was designed by Sir William Tite, designer of a number of early railway stations in Britain, including neighbouring Carlisle (Citadel), as well as Carnforth and Lancaster (Castle). It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.[3]
An 1863 Ordnance Survey plan shows refreshment facilities in the large room seen to the right on entering the building, but this is now used for storage.[4]
Although the station is now relatively quiet, at one time it served as the terminus of the Cockermouth, Keswick and Penrith Railway and the North Eastern Railway's Eden Valley branch. The latter joined with the South Durham and Lancashire Union Railway at Kirkby Stephen, providing connections to the East Coast Main Line at Darlington. In the mid-nineteenth century, there was a plan to connect Penrith to the lead mines at Caldbeck by rail, eventually joining up with the Cumbrian Coast Line near Wigton.
Passenger services to Darlington and Kirkby Stephen were withdrawn on 22 January 1962, whilst those to Workington via Cockermouth fell victim to the Beeching Axe around four years later. The surviving section of the Cockermouth, Keswick and Penrith Railway as far as Keswick survived until 6 March 1972. There have recently been plans to re-open the line as far as Keswick, but there have been no further developments to progress this at present.[5][6][7]
The station was the last in the United Kingdom where mail was collected by a moving train, the practice finally coming to an end on 3 October 1971.[8][9]
Opened as Penrith, the station was renamed Penrith for Ullswater Lake in 1904.[2] The station's name reverted to the original Penrith on 6 May 1974.[2][10] It has since been renamed Penrith North Lakes on 18 May 2003.
Facilities
edit
The station is staffed throughout the day, with the ticket office open from 05:30–19:00 Monday to Saturday and 11:30–19:00 on Sunday. A self-service ticket machine is also available. Each platform has next train audio-visual displays, with customer help points on platforms 1 and 2 (platform 3 is rarely used). Waiting rooms are provided on platforms 1 and 2, along with toilets, a post box and a payphone. Step-free access is available to all platforms via lifts, with a footbridge and subway also available.[11]
Services
editAvanti West Coast
editAvanti West Coast operate services on the West Coast Main Line southbound towards London Euston via Preston, with 5 tpd going via Birmingham New Street and the rest via the Trent Valley Line. A single evening service operates to Crewe on weekdays. Heading north, there are services towards Glasgow Central via Carlisle, as well as two trains per day (three trains per day on Saturday and 4tpd on Sunday) towards Edinburgh Waverley via Carlisle.[12][13]
These services operate using Class 390 Pendolinos.
TransPennine Express
editFollowing the December 2021 timetable change, TransPennine Express operate nine trains per day heading north towards Glasgow Central via Carlisle (seven trains per day on Sunday), as well as three trains per day to Edinburgh Waverley via Carlisle. Heading south, there are 15 trains per day to Manchester Airport (11 trains per day on Sunday), with a once-daily service to Liverpool Lime Street.[14]
Rolling stock used: Class 397 Civity
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Historic England. "Penrith railway station (Grade II) (1326905)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
- ^ a b c Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 183. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
- ^ Historic England. "Penrith railway station (Grade II) (1326905)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
- ^ Ordnance Plan of the town of Penrith (10.56 feet to one mile), 1863, British Library shelfmark O.S.T.(11)
- ^ Parsons, Emily (1 June 2020). "Plans to reinstate railways take step forward". In Cumbria. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
- ^ Lytollis, Roger (24 February 2019). "Penrith to Keswick rail line should reopen, says Lake District National Park chairman". News and Star. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
- ^ "Trains back on track to return to Keswick after 48 years says railway campaigner". Keswick Reminder. 11 June 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
- ^ "End of the line for mail trains". BBC. January 2004. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
- ^ "News of the Month". Railway World. Vol. 32, no. 379. Shepperton: Ian Allan. December 1971. p. 514.
- ^ Slater, J.N., ed. (July 1974). "Notes and News: Stations renamed by LMR". Railway Magazine. 120 (879). London: IPC Transport Press Ltd: 363. ISSN 0033-8923.
- ^ "Station facilities for Penrith (North Lakes)". National Rail. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
- ^ "Scheduled timetable book for 11 December 2022 to 20 May 2023" (PDF). Avanti West Coast.
- ^ "Scheduled timetable book for 21 May 2023 to 9 December 2023" (PDF). Avanti West Coast.
- ^ "Train times: Manchester and Liverpool to Carlisle, Glasgow and Edinburgh". TransPennine Express. 12 December 2021. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
External links
edit
Media related to Penrith railway station at Wikimedia Commons- Train times and station information for Penrith railway station from National Rail
| Preceding station |  National Rail
|
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lancaster | Avanti West Coast West Coast Main Line |
Carlisle | ||
| Oxenholme Lake District | ||||
| Preston | ||||
| Lancaster | TransPennine Express West Coast Main Line |
Carlisle | ||
| Oxenholme Lake District | ||||
| Preston | ||||
| Disused railways | ||||
| Blencow | Cockermouth, Keswick and Penrith Railway | Terminus | ||
| Terminus | Eden Valley Railway | Clifton Moor | ||
| Historical railways | ||||
| Clifton and Lowther | London and North Western Railway Lancaster and Carlisle Railway |
Plumpton | ||