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More trains calling at Carlisle and quicker journeys from the South
Carlisle’s redeveloped station serving HS2, Britain’s new high-speed railway, is set to boost the city’s position as a top visitor destination and gateway to the Lakes, Hadrian’s Wall and the Solway Firth.
The dedicated HS2 line will connect to the existing West Coast Main Line (WCML) to the south of Carlisle at Wigan. This will give the new high-speed trains access to Edinburgh and Glasgow via Carlisle. It also will mean more trains overall will call at Carlisle.
Once the city is connected to HS2 via the WCML, the overall journey time to central London will be quicker by high-speed train than by plane. On a direct HS2 service, the journey between Carlisle and London Euston station will take two hours and 23 minutes – nearly a whole hour faster than the same rail journey today.
Fastest train journey between Carlisle and London Euston
Current: 197 minutes
HS2: 143 minutes
Journeys between Carlisle and Birmingham will also be cut by 44 minutes to two hours.
With more trains running and significantly faster journeys on HS2, more visitors are expected to choose ‘greener’ rail travel to Carlisle over driving or flying.
John Stevenson, MP for Carlisle, said: “If the rail network is reliable and punctual, you will see more people from the South of England coming up to the region, not just the Lake District, but also to explore Hadrian’s Wall, south-west Scotland and the northern parts of Cumbria.
“Improved rail services would also reduce the number of cars visiting the Lake District, which is becoming increasingly problematic lately.”
Fastest train journey between Carlisle and Birmingham
Current: 164 minutes
HS2: 120 minutes
HS2 will make room for hundreds of thousands more people to take the train every day in Britain. By easing the pressure on major bottlenecks further south, it will free up space for more frequent and reliable local, regional and freight services, including to places not served directly by HS2 trains.
Upgrading Carlisle station
HS2 trains will be able to stop at Carlisle without disrupting local rail services. The station is being upgraded to an integrated high-speed station, which will mean extending platforms 1 and 3 and adding one new platform, plus a new footbridge.
While the work is going on, there is a golden opportunity to redevelop the area around the station and highlight Carlisle’s rich heritage. Carlisle City Council and Cumbria County Council are working closely with HS2 Ltd, the company building the new railway, to make sure the work complements the existing Carlisle Station Gateway project.
Increased tourism and the regeneration of the station area is poised to add £40 million a year to the local economy.
Penrith and Oxenholme stations will also become integrated high-speed stations so HS2 trains can stop there.
Jobs and skills
There are also plans to build a facility for storing HS2 trains overnight in Dumfries and Galloway, a few miles from Carlisle. The facility is expected to create 100 jobs.
In the meantime, the railway construction work itself is already creating local jobs. Carlisle-based Stobart Rail is among more than 100 businesses in the North West that have worked on HS2 to date.
Find more information on HS2 in Carlisle at www.hs2.org.uk/carlisle.
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