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Thursday 7 Apr 2011

WELCOME ENHANCEMENT FOR PASSENGERS

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MP marks completion of £550,000 improvement project at Carlisle station

Improvements for passengers using Carlisle Citadel station were formally inaugurated by John Stevenson MP today (Thursday 7 April).

The £550,000 project, which has been funded by the Department for Transport, has created a better welcome at the historic station by offering more attractive and comfortable areas to meet and wait.

“I am delighted to see this investment in our station. It will help to improve the passenger experience in Carlisle. The station is used extensively by residents of Carlisle to commute and by tourists who visit our city,” said Mr Stevenson, MP for Carlisle, who unveiled a commemorative plaque.

The first thing passengers see when they come through the station entrance is a prominent new totem for display screens giving current train service information.

To the right beside platform four and adjacent to a catering unit, an existing seating area has been significantly improved.

To the left, between the station footbridge and platforms five and six, there is an attractive new seating area on a site previously occupied by an ugly concrete block that once housed a small refreshment room.

The new seating is surrounded on three sides by a low stone-clad wall topped with glazed screens to keep the wind out and stop passengers from feeling a draught. There is also plenty of space for people to circulate freely.

Prominently positioned at the waiting area, a new “gateway” has been provided for platforms five and six where trains for the scenic Settle & Carlisle and Hadrian’s Wall Country lines depart for Leeds and Newcastle.

Dedicated diagrams depicting each of these lines draw attention to the spectacular journeys that they offer. A large sign across the end of both railway tracks welcomes passengers.

This part of the project has been further enhanced by a £10,000 contribution from the Friends of the Settle-Carlisle Line. Leaflets and posters also draw attention to the scenic journey opportunities on offer.

The historic interior of the adjacent waiting room with its magnificent wooden roof beams can be appreciated much more effectively than before, thanks to the removal of the galvanised metal framework supporting the emergency lighting, which has been relocated.

The project is part of the Department for Transport’s National Stations Improvement Programme, administered by Network Rail. Virgin Trains delivered the work.

Transport Minister Theresa Villiers said: “Providing rail passengers a good all-round journey is not just about fast and efficient train services - it’s also about ensuring they start and end their journeys in comfortable, modern stations and that’s why we have funded this work which has transformed Carlisle station.”

Stuart Davison, Station Manager in Cumbria for Virgin Trains, said: “Thanks to these improvements, this historic station offers a much more attractive gateway for passengers embarking on the railways that radiate from Carlisle.”

Jo Kaye, Network Rail’s route director, said: “Over the last few years we have invested more than £100m in the Settle to Carlisle line to bring it up to modern day standards. It is good to see that the station now boasts a waiting area dedicated to this world famous line and its neighbouring route to Newcastle, and I am sure tourists and regular passengers alike will appreciate the new facilities.”

Mark Rand, chairman of the Friends of the Settle-Carlisle Line, said: "The improvements at Carlisle mark another milestone in the amazing story of the Settle-Carlisle line which came so near to closure in the 1980s. The Carlisle platform now adds to the sense of occasion for passengers using this wonderful railway. It has been a pleasure to work with Network Rail and with Virgin Trains on this project."

The main contractor was Serco Project Services. Work has been under way since last October and was completed in March.

Carlisle station is one of 17 managed by Virgin Trains on the West Coast Mainline. The station improvement project follows recent investment in the adjacent car park in a previous joint project involving Virgin Trains, Network Rail and the Department for Transport.

Carlisle Citadel station is used by almost 1.8 million passengers a year. It is served by trains on the West Coast Main Line south towards London and north to Edinburgh and Glasgow, and by trains to the Hadrian’s Wall Country, Settle, the Cumbrian Coast and South West Scotland.