Wigton railway station

Wigton
Location	Wigton, Allerdale England
Coordinates	54°49′45″N 3°09′52″W / 54.8290950°N 3.1643538°W / 54.8290950; -3.1643538Coordinates: 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
2016/17	49,124
2017/18	46,900
2018/19	49,568
2019/20	67,076
2020/21	24,662
Location
Wigton Location in Allerdale, Cumbria Wigton Location in Cumbria, England Show map of AllerdaleShow map of CumbriaShow all
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Wigton is a railway station on the Cumbrian Coast Line, which runs between Carlisle and Barrow-in-Furness via Whitehaven. The station, situated 11 miles (18 km) south-west of Carlisle, serves the village of Wigton, Allerdale in Cumbria, England. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.

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 This portion of the route did not prove profitable, and the single daily return passenger service was withdrawn by the Maryport and Carlisle Railway in 1921.^[2]

Goods facilities at the station were withdrawn by British Rail in October 1970.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
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 153 Super Sprinter, 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[]

External links[]

• 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