Carlisle Carlisle Citadel
The main facade of Carlisle station in 2018
General information
Location	Carlisle,Cumberland, England
Coordinates	54°53′28″N2°56′02″W / 54.891°N 2.934°W /54.891; -2.934
Grid reference	NY401555
Owned by	Network Rail
Managed by	Avanti West Coast
Platforms	8
Other information
Station code	CAR
Classification	DfT category B
History
Original company	Caledonian Railway/Lancaster and Carlisle Railway joint
Pre-grouping	Caledonian Railway/London and North Western Railway joint
Post-grouping	London, Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
1 September 1847	Opened asCarlisle Citadel
1875	Extended
(after 1948)	RenamedCarlisle
Passengers
2020/21	0.448 million
Interchange	55,375
2021/22	1.779 million
Interchange	0.241 million
2022/23	1.801 million
Interchange	0.302 million
2023/24	2.103 million
Interchange	0.347 million
2024/25	2.316 million
Interchange	0.368 million
Listed Building – Grade II*
Feature	Citadel Station
Designated	13 November 1972
Reference no.	1196969[1]
Location
Notes Passenger statistics from theOffice of Rail and Road

Carlisle, orCarlisle Citadel, is aGrade II* listed^[1]railway station serving the cathedral city ofCarlisle, inCumbria, England. It is a principal stop on theWest Coast Main Line, 102 miles (164 km) south-east ofGlasgow Central and 299 miles (481 km) north-north-west ofLondon Euston. It is the northern terminus of theSettle and Carlisle Line. The station is so named because it is adjacent toCarlisle Citadel, a former medieval fortress (not to be confused withCarlisle Castle). The station is owned byNetwork Rail.

In September 1847, the first services departed the station, even though construction was not completed until the following year. It was built in a neo-Tudor style to the designs of English architectWilliam Tite.^[2] Carlisle station was one of a number in the city; the others wereCrown Street andLondon Road, but it became the dominant station by 1851. The other stations had their passenger services redirected to it and were closed. Between 1875 and 1876, the station was expanded to accommodate the lines of theMidland Railway which was the seventh railway company to use it.

TheBeeching cuts of the 1960s affected Carlisle, particularly the closure of the formerNorth British Railway lines toSilloth, on 7 September 1964, and the Waverley Line toEdinburgh Waverley viaGalashiels on 6 January 1969. The closure programme claimed neighbouring lines, including theCastle Douglas and Dumfries Railway andPortpatrick Railway (the "Port Road") in 1965; this resulted in a significant mileage increase via the Glasgow South Western Line andAyr to reachStranraer Harbour and ferries to Northern Ireland. The station layout has undergone few changes other than the singling of the ex-NER Tyne Valley route to London Road Junction in the 1972–73 resignalling scheme, which was associated with the electrification of the West Coast Main Line (WCML). Renovations to the platforms and glass roof were performed between 2015 and 2018.

Close to the English border with Scotland, Carlisle became an important railway interchange in the first half of the 19th century.^[3] In 1836, Carlisle's first station opened atLondon Road for theNewcastle and Carlisle Railway; seven years later,Crown Street opened for theMaryport & Carlisle Railway. In the mid-1840s, work commenced on Carlisle Citadel on the south side of Court Square. Citadel station was built for theLancaster & Carlisle Railway and theCaledonian Railways.^[3]

Carlisle station was designed by the architectWilliam Tite. His design incorporatedTudor andGothic styles. Built at a cost of £53,000, the station was constructed between 1846 and 1848. On 10 September 1847, it was officially opened to rail traffic, even though construction was incomplete and only one long through platform with a bay at each end had been finished.^[3]

The main station buildings have a multi-baysandstone facade of two storeys, capped by rows of slate roofs at differing levels. The entrance portico is supported by five pointed arches withbuttresses between.Roundels are placed over three arches; the central roundel bears theroyal arms ofQueen Victoria, flanked by those of the Lancaster & Carlisle and the Caledonian Railways but the outer plaques, intended for the Maryport & Carlisle and the Newcastle and Carlisle who did not contribute towards the cost of the station's construction, are blank.^[3]

Carlisle Citadel Station Act 1861
Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act for the Enlargement, Regulation and Management of "The Citadel Station" at Carlisle, situate at the Junction of the Lancaster and Carlisle and the Caledonian Railways, and for other Purposes.
Citation	24 & 25 Vict. c. clxvi
Dates
Royal assent	22 July 1861

As a consequence of the station accommodating the complex timetables operated by two (and eventually seven) operating companies, a joint management committee was established.^[3] On 10 May 1857, the Carlisle Citadel Station Agreement was drawn up and established under theCarlisle Citadel Station Act 1861 (24 & 25 Vict. c. clxvi) of 22 July 1861. The committee had eight directors: four each from the boards of the Caledonian and theLondon and North Western Railway (L&NWR), which had absorbed the Lancaster & Carlisle in 1859.^[3]

Carlisle Citadel Station Act 1873
Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act for enlarging the extent and improving the accommodation of the Citadel station at Carlisle, and making and maintaining new Connecting Lines between the various Railways converging there; and for other purposes.
Citation	36 & 37 Vict. c. clxxxvii
Dates
Royal assent	21 July 1873
Text of statute as originally enacted

To improve freight services the Carlisle Goods Traffic Committee was formed after theCarlisle Citadel Station Act 1873 (36 & 37 Vict. c. clxxxvii).^[3] The London & North Western, Midland, Caledonian and Glasgow & South Western each had two directors on the committee. To minimise the danger to passengers, a goods avoidance line was constructed to divert freight trains around the station.^[3]

The Carlisle Citadel Station Act 1873 (36 & 37 Vict. c. clxxxvii) authorised changes, not restricted to freight, including an instruction "enlarging and improving facilities". Expansion work took place between 1873 and 1876 followed by a second phase between 1878 and 1881. While construction was taking place, the opening of the Midland Railway'sSettle–Carlisle line generated more freight trains from August 1875 and passenger services started in April 1876.^[3]

On 20 July 1881, improvements were officially completed. Carlisle station was used by seven railway companies: the London and North Western, North Eastern, Midland, Caledonian, North British, Glasgow & South Western, and Maryport & Carlisle. Each company operated its own passenger amenities, with separate booking and parcels offices.^[3][4]

Additional tracks, buildings and platforms were constructed including an island platform with two-storey buildings which increased the 400 metre-long through platforms to three.^[3] Five terminal bay platforms were constructed and an overarching footbridge which connected the through platforms inside the train shed. Below the platforms, theundercroft contains a network of passageways,offices, service rooms and staff accommodation; parts of the underground areas are reputed to be haunted.^[3]

During the construction programme, an iron and glass large roof was installed behind the station buildings.^[3] As built, it spanned 85 metres across the platforms and tracks to cover an area in excess of 2.6 hectares. It consisted of 26 deep latticegirders, with a transverse span and 12.2 metre centres; each girder had 10 panels, stiffened end posts and a flat bottom tie.^[3] The girders supported a series of slender balancedcantilever half-truss hooped beams at approximately 3.7m centres, spanning the tracks. The ornate timber end screens had Gothic-style glazing bars. The roof was glazed using shingled panels, possibly making use of Rendel'spatented Indestructible System, and was designed byEdinburgh-based engineering firmBlyth & Cunningham.^[3][4]

During 1922, five of the seven companies that operated at the station were absorbed into theLondon Midland & Scottish Railway (LMS) after theRailways Act 1921. During theSecond World War, black paint was applied to the roof glazing as a precautionary measure against enemyair raids.

Preventative maintenance gradually led to large areas of the glass roof becoming unsafe and forcing occasional platform closures after falling glass.^[3] In 1957, it was decided to reduce the area of the roof and concentrate maintenance activities on the remaining area.^[4] Between 1957 and 1958, the south-western half of the station roof, and portions of its north-eastern half and the end screens were removed.^[3] The original glass panes were replaced by large patent glazing panels.^[4] The substantial supporting wall at the south-western side of the station was left in place.^[3] The wall is built ofsandstone and linked to the main buildings by a series of arched tunnels in the undercroft.^[4]

In November 1972, the station receivedGrade II* listed status; its citation notes: "The building by Tite is among the most important early major railway stations in Britain." In April 1994, the freestanding retaining wall was also listed separately as Grade II.^[3]

Between October 2010 and March 2011, a series of improvements were performed at Carlisle station; these were focused on its passenger amenities, such as the waiting, meeting and seating areas. From 13 July 2013 to 7 April 2014, as part of a £1.5 million refurbishment project, accessibility at the station was improved via the refurbishment of thelifts and other alterations to achieve step-free access to all of the platforms. In conjunction, a formerly-disused subway was also renovated.^[3]

According to rail industry publication Rail Engineer, it was clear by 2014 that the station's roof was in need of restoration.^[4] The steel trusses were found to have been sagging in places, which was speculated to have been a result not only of the structure's age but also come as a consequence of the alterations performed during the 1950s it had been exacerbated by the adoption of rigid glazing and insufficient drainage systems. Multiple panels have cracked or broken, resulting in the deployment of several nets to catch falling glass, while rainwater often pooled in areas of the roof rather than draining away.^[4] Furthermore, maintenance activities were complicated by a lack of access to the roof on the part of safety restrictions, preventing even routine cleaning, thus the panels were perpetually dirty and provided poor natural lighting conditions throughout the platforms.^[4]

During November 2015, work commenced upon the repair and refurbishment of the station's roof, as well as the rebuilding of all eight platforms under a £14.7 million scheme that was managed and carried out by national rail infrastructure management companyNetwork Rail.^[5] This programme was planned by global design consulting firmArcadis, in close cooperation with bothHistoric England andCarlisle City Council. The renovated roof was designed to incorporate modern elements and contemporary construction techniques; significant attention was reportedly paid to maintaining its historical aesthetic. The new roof is primarily composed ofethylene tetrafluoroethylene (EFTE) sheeting andaluminium frames, which is claimed to possess a high level of resistance tocorrosion as well as retaining considerable strength and being far lighter than conventional glass panes. Other benefits include the roof being shatterproof and self-cleaning.^[4] Construction companyGalliford Try served as the principal contractor performing the roof replacement, whileVector Foiltec manufactured and fitted the EFTE sheets. It was also decided to repaint the metalwork of the roof, which was not originally included in the programme's scope.^[4][6]

During February 2018, a second phase of this renovation programme, which was focused upon the platforms themselves, was scheduled to commence.^[4] Work to resurface and install tactile paving on platforms 1, 2, and 3 was completed in March 2022.^[7]

• On 4 March 1890, a night express from London was unable to stop on approaching the station, overran signals and collided with a light engine, killing 4 people. The driver claimed that theautomatic vacuum brake had failed due to icing in the train pipe between engine and train. The Inspecting Officer disputed this and concluded that the driver had accidentally switched to thesimple vacuum brake and released the brakes.^[8] This verdict caused some controversy at the time and in subsequent years.
• On 6 June 1961, a light engine and a freight train collided under the Caldewgate road bridge.^[9]
• On 1 May 1984, a runaway freight train collided with and destroyed theRiver Caldew bridge at Denton Holme. This incident directly contributed to the decision to permanently close the goods line shortly thereafter.^[10] However, the goods line was not dismantled; it has been speculated that it could be restored and reopened to traffic one day, if the measure was to be deemed necessary for the relief of freight congestion in the vicinity of the station.^[3]
• On 19 October 2022, a freight train carrying cement derailed while crossing the bridge over theRiver Petteril east of the station, causing significant damage to the infrastructure. At least one of the five derailed wagons ended up in the river.^{[11][12][13][14]}

The station is a fully staffed facility during normal hours; the booking office is typically open each day from the start of services in the morning up until 20:00 in the evening. A number ofticket machines are also available in the booking hall.^[15] To the north of the station's portico, located directly between the main entrance and the station offices, is a squareclock tower, furnished with an octagonallantern; to the south of the portico are single-storey waiting and refreshment rooms. Interior details of these rooms included Tudor and Gothic-stylefireplaces andlinen-fold wood-panelled doors.^[3]

Multiple waiting rooms are located on both of the station's main platforms; additionally, there is anewsagent on the concourse and abuffet on platform three. Train running information is provided across the station in the form of auditory announcements over apublic address system, along with a series of distributed digital display screens. In line with accessibility legislation, full step-free access is possible to all platforms on the station via ramps to the footbridge or lifts and subway.^[15]

There are eight platforms at the station in total: three through and five bays, organised as follows (from west to east):

1. Relief West Coast Main Line platform (bi-directional) and occasional Caledonian Sleeper; this is the normal northbound West Coast Main Line platform
2. Cumbrian Coast Line bay
3. West Coast Main Line northbound platform (bi-directional), mostly TransPennine Express northbound
4. West Coast Main Line southbound platform (bi-directional)
5. Tyne Valley Line bay/Settle and Carlisle line bay
6. As platform 5; services at these platforms often alternate
7. Scottish services to various destinations between Carlisle and Glasgow, via theGlasgow South Western Line
8. Used instead of Platform 7 occasionally for ScotRail services to Glasgow

There are stabling roads between platforms 3 and 4 in the train shed, and a loop around platform 1. There are several electrified sidings to the west of platform 1. There are substantial buildings on both the western island and the mainup platform on the east side, with the main station buffet on the former and the travel centre/ticket office and shop on the latter. Both main platforms have waiting rooms and toilets; they are linked by a fully accessible footbridge.

Freight trains formerly used a goods line to the west to bypass the station, but this was closed in 1984 after a runaway rake of container wagons derailed at high speed on theRiver Caldew bridge at Dentonholme, damaging it beyond economic repair.^[10] Nearly all freight services (apart from those running directly from the Cumbrian Coast Line toward the Tyne Valley Line or the Settle–Carlisle Line, or vice versa) now have to use one of the main platform lines when passing through the station, which can cause congestion at peak times.

v t e Rail network in the Carlisle area
Legend
Caledonian Main Line West Coast Main LineNorthbound Waverley RoutetoEdinburgh Glasgow, Dumfries & Carlisle Rly Glasgow South Western Line toGretna Green   Gretna Junction Scotland England Gretna Longtown Longtown MOD Depot Floriston Lyneside Harker Rockcliffe Kingmoor Marshalling Yard Brunthill Stainton Carlisle and Port Carlisle Railway and Dock Company Etterby Junction Port Carlisle Junction Carlisle Kingmoor TMD Willowholme Junction Port Carlisle Branch Junction Caldew Junction Carlisle Citadel Carlisle South Junction Rome Street Junction London Road Junction Currock Junction Upperby Junction Maryport and Carlisle Railway Cumbrian Coast Line Upperby TMD toBarrow-in-Furness    Upperby Bridge Junction Brisco Carlisle London Road Wreay Petteril Bridge Junction Lancaster and Carlisle Railway West Coast Main LineSouthbound Settle–Carlisle linetoSettle Newcastle and Carlisle Railway toNewcastle

The station is served by fivetrain operating companies, with the following general off-peak service pattern in trains per hour/day:

• 1tph toLondon Euston, via theTrent Valley line
• 1tph to London Euston, viaBirmingham New Street
• 1tph toGlasgow Central, which have taken the Trent Valley line route
• 1tp2h toEdinburgh Waverley
• 1tp2h to Glasgow Central, which have taken the route via Birmingham New Street.^[16]

Northern Trains Tyne Valley Line
v t e
Newcastle – Carlisle via Hexham
Newcastle Dunston MetroCentre Blaydon Wylam Prudhoe Stocksfield Riding Mill Corbridge Hexham Haydon Bridge Bardon Mill Haltwhistle Brampton Wetheral Carlisle
Some services extend to/from Middlesbrough orNunthorpe .

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

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

• 1tph toBarrow-in-Furness, viaWhitehaven
• 1tph toMiddlesbrough, viaHexham and Newcastle^[17]
• 1tph toNewcastle, via Hexham
• 1tp2h toLeeds, viaSettle.^[18]

• 1tp2h toDumfries
• 1tp2h to Glasgow Central, viaKilmarnock.^[19]

• 1tph toManchester Airport
• 3tpd toLiverpool Lime Street
• 1tp2h to Edinburgh Waverley
• 1tp2h to Glasgow Central (from Manchester Airport)
• 3tpd to Glasgow Central (from Liverpool Lime Street).^[20]

• 1tpd to London Euston
• 1tpd to Glasgow Central
• 1tpd toInverness,Fort William andAberdeen.^[21]

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Alongside regular passenger trains on select weekends and occasionally during mid-week,excursion trains regularly visit Carlisle as the destination for railtour passengers. The most popular excursion trains are those worked bysteam locomotives. The starting points of the trips vary with some travelling from the southern end of the West Coast Main Line at London Euston and from other starting points such asTyseley, Birmingham,Crewe,York and Liverpool. The routes vary too, as there are four main routes that railtours can travel down heading to Carlisle or making their return journeys: the West Coast Main Line (over Shap or Beattock); theCumbrian Coast andFurness line; theTyne Valley line; and the Settle and Carlisle line.

Some of the steam locomotives ran through Carlisle in the days of steam, including:Black 5s,Jubilees,Royal Scots,Princess Royals andCoronation/Duchesses. Some are of classes which never visited Carlisle in steam days, including:Castles,Kings,Halls,Merchant Navys andLight Pacifics.

Steam locomotives that are known to have visited Carlisle over the years include:5043Earl of Mount Edgcumbe,6201Princess Elizabeth,6233Duchess of Sutherland,34067Tangmere,35018British India Line,Black Five 44871,45690Leander,45699Galatea,46115Scots Guardsman,60103Flying Scotsman,60163Tornado,61306Mayflower and71000Duke of Gloucester.

The Cumbrian Mountain Express trains are regular excursions that visit Carlisle. The routes vary from travelling northbound overShap summit on the WCML, returning south down the Settle & Carlisle line or vice versa. These now run throughout the year.

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Terminus		ScotRail Glasgow South Western Line		Gretna Green
Penrith North Lakes		Avanti West Coast West Coast Main Line London Euston –Glasgow Central orEdinburgh Waverley		Lockerbie
				Motherwell
Oxenholme Lake District				Glasgow Central
				Haymarket
Watford Junction		Caledonian Sleeper Lowland Caledonian Sleeper		Carstairs
Wetheral		Northern Trains Tyne Valley Line		Terminus
Armathwaite		Northern Trains Settle-Carlisle Line		Terminus
Terminus		Northern Trains Cumbrian Coast Line		Dalston (Cumbria)
Penrith North Lakes		TransPennine Express TransPennine North West Manchester Airport –Glasgow Central orEdinburgh Waverley		Lockerbie
Oxenholme Lake District				Motherwell
Lancaster				Glasgow Central
Preston				Haymarket
Penrith North Lakes		TransPennine Express Liverpool Lime Street -Glasgow Central		Lockerbie
Oxenholme Lake District				Glasgow Central
Terminus		Northern Trains Carlisle – Middlesbrough		Hexham
	Historical railways
Terminus		Caledonian Railway CR Main Line		Rockcliffe
Terminus		North British Railway Border Union Railway		Harker
Terminus		North British Railway Carlisle and Port Carlisle Railway and Dock Company		Kirkandrews
Terminus		Maryport and Carlisle Railway		Cummersdale Line open, station closed
Brisco		London and North Western Railway Lancaster and Carlisle Railway		Terminus
Scotby		Midland Railway Settle and Carlisle Line		Terminus
Scotby		North Eastern Railway Newcastle and Carlisle Railway		Terminus

• Grade II* listed buildings in Cumberland
• Listed buildings in Carlisle, Cumbria

Wikimedia Commons has media related toCarlisle railway station.

• Train times andstation information for Carlisle railway station fromNational Rail
• The Undercroft @ Carlisle Railway Station
• Winchester, Clarence, ed. (8 November 1935), "Carlisle station",Railway Wonders of the World, pp. 1303–1309

• Railway stations in Cumbria
• DfT Category B stations
• Former Caledonian Railway stations
• Former Lancaster and Carlisle Railway stations
• Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1847
• Railway stations served by ScotRail
• Railway stations served by Caledonian Sleeper
• Railway stations served by TransPennine Express
• Railway stations served by Northern
• Railway stations served by Avanti West Coast
• Union stations in the United Kingdom
• Buildings and structures in Carlisle, Cumbria
• William Tite railway stations
• Grade II* listed buildings in Cumbria
• Grade II* listed railway stations
• 1847 establishments in England
• Stations on the West Coast Main Line

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