Morecamberailway station is a railway station that serves the town of Morecambe in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Morecambe Branch Line from to Heysham. The current truncated two-platform station was opened in 1994 to replace the Midland Railway's earlier terminus situated some further west, closer to the town's sea front. The old station building remains in use as a pub and restaurant, but its platforms have been demolished and the site is now occupied by a cinema and the Morecambe indoor market. That station was itself a replacement for the North Western Railway's original two-platform terminus at Northumberland Street, which was located almost exactly on the same site as the current station and ticket office.
Facilities
Recently a modern ticket office was opened and passenger numbers have increased by 8% over the last five years. Services are operated by variety of diesel multiple units, including Class 144, Class 150, Class 156 and Class 158 sets. Terminating passenger services usually run into Platform 1. However, trains to/from Heysham must use the Platform 2 line in order to reverse and gain access to the single track Heysham branch. The lines to Platforms 1 and 2 connect 1.6 miles away at a junction east of station. Heysham services access the Heysham section by means of a ground frame at the junction which is released by Preston signalling centre and operated by the train crew. The ticket office is staffed from the early morning until mid-afternoon, six days per week. Passengers can purchase tickets from a ticket vending machine at the station at other times. A waiting shelter is provided, along with a P.A system and digital information screens. There is step-free access to the platform from the station entrance and ticket office.
Services
The station is served by Northern local services, which operate as a regular Lancaster-Morecambe shuttle. There are also five daily longer-distance services from Morecambe to and via the Leeds to Morecambe Line and one late evening through train to. Additionally, there is a limited service to Heysham, connecting with the ferry to the Isle of Man. Trains for Heysham must reverse at Morecambe. The token direct trains to Canforth that ran up until the summer 2019 timetable change have now been withdrawn. The Parliamentary train legal minimum service for the Bare Lane to Hest Bank North Junction chord is now provided by an early morning train from Lancaster which runs via Carnforth and the curve in question.
Future Improvements
's franchise agreement includes provision for additional trains on the Leeds route - three additional weekday services were introduced from May 2018 and one additional train each way on Sundays. Pacer DMUs are planned to disappear from the route by December 2019.
