Station
Carnforth

Situated at the junction of the West Coast route and the Cumbrian coast line, close to the Lancashire & Cumbria border and six miles from Lancaster the town of Carnforth was an original railway town which until the coming of the railway was just a small village. The station here was built for the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway and opened in 1846.

In 1937 the LMSR spent £53,000 on modernising the station and works were completed in 1938. When completed the station boasted the longest unsupported single piece concrete roof in Britain. In February 1945 the famous film Brief Encounter was filmed in part at the station.

In 1996 The Carnforth Station and Railway Trust was set up and after strenuous efforts rejuvenation of the station commenced in 2000. On 17^th October 2003 the Brief Encounters café and visitors centre opened and is proving a popular attraction at the station. The station is situated close to the town centre where there is a good selection of shops including a very well stocked second hand bookstore.

The Lancaster canal passes through the town and there are lovely walks along its towpath particularly to the disused Tewitfield locks which once lifted canal barges 75 feet. Nearby Wharton Crag has several circular walks and the site of the Iron Age hill fort is worth a visit.

In 2012 the Furness Line CRP installed some artwork on platform 2 at the station. This was a project in partnership with students from the Lancaster & Morecambe Art College and sponsored by a number of local businesses and attractions. Photographs of the artwork can be seen in the gallery on the right hand side of this page along with the name of the artist. More of the work of the Furness Line CRP can be seen by visiting their website at www.furnessline.co.uk.

Address

Carnforth Station
Market Street
Carnforth
Lancaster
Lancashire
LA5 9ET

Grid Reference

SD 496707 – for a map visit www.streetmap.co.uk and enter the grid reference.

Operator

Northern (DOHL)

Facilities

+  Unstaffed station
+  Ticket Vending Machine
+  Better than 2 hourly service to Barrow and Manchester Airport
+  Northern service to Morecambe/Heysham Port and Leeds
+  Car park at front of station operated by Northern (64 spaces including 4 accessible) £4.00 per day, season tickets available)
+  Covered platforms
+  Additional seating on platforms
+  Secure cycle storage on car park (keys from Interchange office)
+  Long Line Public Address
+  CCTV

Other Information

+  Bus stops at front of station – click here for bus timetables
+  Rail User Group – Lancaster & Skipton Rail User Group (http://www.lasrug.btck.co.uk)
+  For more information about Carnforth Station Visitor Centre click here
+  Friends of Station – visit communityraillancashire.co.uk/station-adoption/ for more details

Attractions

Heritage Centre – the beautifully restored station buildings house a heritage centre famous for its Brief Encounter connections

Brief Encounter Refreshment Room – a loving recreation of the set for the café in the famous David Lean film, serving hot and cold refreshments

Leighton Moss – a RSPB wildlife reserve

Leighton Hall – ancestral home of the Gillow family