Cumbrian Coast Line

The Cumbrian Coast Line is a rail route in North West England, running from Carlisle to Barrow-in-Furness via Workington and Whitehaven. The line forms part of Network Rail route NW 4033, which continues (as the Furness Line) via Ulverston and Grange-over-Sands to Carnforth, where it connects with the West Coast Main Line.

History
The Cumbrian Coast Line is an amalgamation of a series of earlier routes:


 * Carlisle to Maryport, Maryport and Carlisle Railway opened 1845
 * Maryport to Whitehaven, Whitehaven Junction Railway (acquired by London and North Western Railway 1866)
 * Whitehaven to Kirkby-in-Furness, Whitehaven and Furness Railway (acquired by Furness Railway 1865)
 * Kirkby-in-Furness to Barrow-in-Furness, Furness Railway opened 1844

All the above constituents were absorbed into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway in 1923.

Towns and villages along the route

 * Carlisle
 * Dalston
 * Wigton
 * Aspatria
 * Maryport
 * Flimby
 * Workington
 * Harrington
 * Parton
 * Whitehaven
 * Corkickle
 * St Bees
 * Nethertown
 * Braystones
 * Sellafield
 * Seascale
 * Drigg
 * Ravenglass
 * Connection for the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway (La'al Ratty)
 * Bootle
 * Silecroft
 * Millom
 * Green Road
 * Foxfield
 * Kirkby-in-Furness
 * Askam-in-Furness
 * Barrow-in-Furness

Services
Train services are operated by Northern Rail. Services stop at all stations, although many are request stops, with the exceptions of Netherstown and Braystones, which are served by four trains a day in each direction.

In the December 2011 - May 2012 timetable, the following trains operate on weekdays:


 * Southbound - 18 trains per day
 * Carlisle to Barrow-in-Furness - 8 trains per day, of which 1 continues to Lancaster and 1 to Preston
 * Carlisle to Whitehaven - 4 trains per day, of which 1 begins in Newcastle
 * Millom to Barrow-in-Furness - 3 trains per day, of which 1 continues to Preston
 * Maryport to Lancaster - 1 train per day
 * Whitehaven to Barrow-in-Furness - 1 train per day
 * Sellafield to Lancaster - 1 train per day


 * Northbound - 19 trains per day
 * Barrow-in-Furness to Carlisle - 10 trains per day, of which 1 begins in Lancaster and 2 in Preston
 * Whitehaven to Carlisle - 4 trains per day
 * Barrow-in-Furness to Millom - 3 trains per day, of which 1 begins in Lancaster
 * Barrow-in-Furness to Sellafield - 1 train per day
 * Whitehaven to Workington - 1 train per day

There are no trains after 19:30 each evening between Millom and Whitehaven, as this section is only open for 12 hours each day due to the high operating costs associated with the large number of signal boxes & staffed level crossings that are present. Services are slightly altered on Saturdays and on Sundays there is no service between Barrow and Whitehaven, with three trains in each direction between Whitehaven and Carlisle.

In the aftermath of the 2009 floods, an extra hourly service between Maryport and Workington operated stopping at all stations in between, including the temporary Workington North. These services were withdrawn in December 2010.

At Carlisle the lines connects to the: West Coast Mainline; the Settle-Carlisle Line; the Tyne Valley Line; the Glasgow South Western Line; and the Caledonian Sleeper service. At Barrow, there are connections to the Furness Line.

Due to restricted clearances on the section of line between Maryport and Carlisle (several overbridges were built to narrower than normal dimensions by the M&CR), Class 150 and Class 158s plus many other Diesel multiple units are banned from the route. Services are normally therefore operated by Class 142, Class 153 or Class 156 units. In the past the Class 108 first generation DMUs formerly used on the line were custom-fitted with bars on the drop-light doors for this reason. Since 2006 Network Rail have eased clearance restrictions so as to allow Mark 2 and Mark 3 coaching stock to operate the full route, although under strict instructions that all drop-light windows must be ether stewarded or locked between Maryport and Carlisle to prevent passengers from putting their heads out of the windows. This has allowed many charter services to operate the full length of the Cumbrian Coast.

The Cumbrian Coast was given Community Rail status in 2008, and has an active Community Rail Partnership working hard to develop the route.

Route description
Network Rail's route NW 4033 runs for 183.9 km from Carnforth North Junction, near Carnforth, to Carlisle South Junction, near Carlisle, by way of Sellafield.

The following lines all previously connected to the Cumbrian Coast Line, but have mostly now been closed


 * Silloth branch, from Aspatria
 * Brigham branch, near Maryport
 * Cleator and Workington Junction Railway, near Workington
 * Cockermouth and Workington Railway, near Workington
 * Whitehaven, Cleator and Egremont Railway, near Corkickle
 * Cleator and Furness Railway, near Sellafield
 * Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway, at Ravenglass. This is a narrow gauge railway which still runs services for tourists, but there was formerly a standard gauge line from Ravenglass to Murthwaite for freight.
 * Coniston Branch, near Foxfield
 * Sandscale branch, at Barrow in Furness