‘New lease of life’: Volunteers transform Northern station following customer feedback

Twenty-two people pitched in at Ulverston station over six hours to clean and repaint the underpass, handrails and stairs, replace the old wooden doors on the platform and scrape up chewing gum.

The volunteers came from the train operator Northern, Network Rail, Transport Focus, ISS UK and the Northern Accessibility User Group (NAUG).

Their hard work is part of a long-term project to revamp the Grade II listed Victorian railway station, which is used by more than 320,000 customers a year.

Northern, which operates the station, recently repainted the waiting room as part of a £10,000 upgrade and carried out repairs to the clock tower, chimney stacks and canopy gutters.

The train operator and Network Rail are preparing plans to replace the glass roof, which is currently held up by scaffolding, install a new lighting system and replace the stained glass windows.

Northern is also planning to cover the former nightclub next to the station with vinyls, until the derelict building can be rebuilt or demolished.

Craig Harrop, regional director for Northern, said: “We’re hugely grateful to the volunteers who have given Ulverston Station a new lease of life.

“Maintaining a 146-year-old station can be challenging and customers have been calling for improvements.

“We have listened to their feedback and are now working on a long-term project to restore this historic station to its former glory.”

It comes as Northern is running a series of volunteer days, offering people the chance to make improvements that customers have requested at stations across its network. 

Earlier this month, volunteers from Northern, ISS UK, Network Rail and the Furness Line Community Rail Partnership conducted a deep clean of Silverdale Station, repainted lighting columns and carried out some minor repairs in the station building.

Improvements will be made to other stations across Cumbria over the next two months, including those in Dalton, Maryport, Seascale, Askham, Flimby and Barrow-in-Furness.  

Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, with 2,500 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England.