Wigton railway station

Wigton railway station is a railway station serving the market town of Wigton in Cumbria, England. It is on the Cumbrian Coast Line, which runs between Carlisle and Barrow-in-Furness. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.

Wigton
General information
Location	Wigton, Cumberland England
Coordinates	54°49′45″N 3°09′52″W / 54.8290950°N 3.1643538°W / 54.8290950; -3.1643538
Grid reference	NY252488
Owned by	Network Rail
Managed by	Northern Trains
Platforms	2
Tracks	2
Other information
Station code	WGT
Classification	DfT category F1
History
Original company	Maryport and Carlisle Railway
Pre-grouping	Maryport and Carlisle Railway
Post-grouping	London, Midland and Scottish Railway British Rail (London Midland Region)
Key dates
10 May 1843	Opened
Passengers
2017/18	46,900
2018/19	49,568
2019/20	67,076
2020/21	24,662
2021/22	64,820
Location
Wigton Location in Allerdale, Cumbria Show map of the former Allerdale Borough Wigton Location in Cumbria, England Show map of Cumbria
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

History

The station was opened by the Maryport and Carlisle Railway on 10 May 1843, following the completion of the route from Carlisle.^[1] It would act as a temporary terminus until the opening of the line heading south-west towards Aspatria in 1845.

It subsequently become the junction station for the eastern end of the loop to Mealsgate from 1878. This portion of the route did not prove profitable, and the single daily return passenger service was withdrawn by the Maryport and Carlisle Railway in 1921.^[2]

Goods facilities at the station were withdrawn by British Rail in October 1970. A private siding for the nearby plastics factory remains in place, but this has been disused for a number of years. The station's signal box is still operational, and acts as a fringe to Carlisle PSB.

In December 2018, the Victorian-era footbridge connecting the platforms was deemed unsafe by Network Rail, and access to it was prohibited. The bridge was removed in March 2019 for repairs, and reinstalled in July 2019.^[3][4]

Facilities

Wigton is one of the mandatory stops on this part of the Cumbrian Coast Line, along with Maryport and Workington. As with most other stations on the line, it is unstaffed, and has been so since 1969. The two side platforms here are slightly offset and linked by a footbridge. A ticket machine is now in service to allow intending travellers to buy before boarding.^[5] There are waiting shelters on both platforms, but the surviving station buildings are no longer in railway use. Step-free access is available to each platform, whilst train running information is provided by display screens, telephone and timetable posters.

Services

Northern Trains Route 6
v t e
Cumbrian Coast, Furness and Windermere Lines
Carlisle         Dalston     Wigton       Aspatria       Maryport       Flimby   Workington     Harrington     Parton     Whitehaven       Corkickle   St Bees     Nethertown     Braystones   Sellafield     Seascale       Drigg   Ravenglass for Eskdale     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         Wigan North Western       Manchester Oxford Road   Manchester Piccadilly           Mauldeth Road     Burnage     East Didsbury       Gatley         Heald Green     Manchester Airport
Bootle, Braystones, Drigg, Flimby, Green Road, Kirkby-in-Furness, Nethertown, Parton and Silecroft are request stops.

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.^[6]

Rolling stock used: Class 156 Super Sprinter and Class 158 Express Sprinter

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.^[7][8]

References

1. Quick, Michael E. (2009). Railway passenger stations in Great Britain: a chronology (4th ed.). Oxford: Railway and Canal Historical Society. p. 457. ISBN 978-0-901461-57-5. OCLC 612226077.
2. Cumbria Railways - The Bolton Loop www.cumbria-railways.co.uk; Retrieved 2013-10-17
3. Major, Melissa (8 April 2019). "Wigton railway bridge removed for repair". News and Star. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
4. Major, Melissa (7 July 2019). "Footbridge hoisted into place". News and Star. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
5. Wigton station facilities National Rail Enquiries; Retrieved 8 November 2019
6. "Train times: Carlisle to Preston and Manchester via Cumbrian Coast and Windermere to Manchester Airport" (PDF). Northern Trains. 16 May 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
7. "Cumbria's west coast rail services reinstated after 40 years". BBC News. 20 May 2018. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
8. Baldwin, Beth. "Long-awaited train service connecting Barrow and Millom returns after 40 years". Whitehaven News. Retrieved 2 June 2021.

External links

•  Cumbria portal

•   Media related to Wigton railway station at Wikimedia Commons
• Train times and station information for Wigton railway station from National Rail

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Dalston (Cumbria)		Northern Trains Cumbrian Coast Line		Aspatria
	Historical railways
Curthwaite		Maryport and Carlisle Railway		Brookfield