Story and Eric Wright land £20m Carlisle Station deal

The funds to upgrade and improve the rail station’s facilities and environment come from the £450m Borderland Inclusive Growth Deal.

Story Contracting will work on the Northern Gateway, while Eric Wright Civil Engineering will tackle the Southern Gateway in the rejuvenation project.

Work on the station includes making Court Square more welcoming to passengers and more pedestrian-friendly. The station itself will have its entrances improved, better platform access, secure cycle parking and modernised passenger facilities. Platforms will be extended so they are in line to handle the longer HS2 high-speed railway trains.

A 423-space car park with disabled and electric bays is being built by the station’s southern entrance. The station’s areas for pick-ups and drop-offs, as well as coach and rail replacement services, are also being relocated to the southern side.

Cumbria County Council and Carlisle City Council developed the project, working also with Avanti, Network Rail and Cumbria LEP.

Rory Kingdon, senior sponsor at Network Rail, voiced his enthusiasm for the scheme.

“It’s an exciting project that will not only regenerate this historic part of the city, but it will also radically transform the passenger experience for decades to come,” he said.

The station project also received £6.6m from the Carlisle Town Deal. The Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership contributed £100,000 from its Capital Development Fund.

Both the UK and Scottish Governments finance the Borderland Inclusive Growth Deal, which invests in Borderlands-centric projects. Carlisle Railway Station is one of the first projects with Borderlands Inclusive Growth funding to move into the delivery phase. Other developments funded by the deal include a Mountain Biking Innovation Centre in the Scottish Borders and the Berwick Theatre. The Borderland Inclusive Growth Deal is also being used to improve digital and mobile connectivity in the region.