Sellafield railway station - 845-0000125

Sellafield railway station serves the nuclear facility of Sellafield in Cumbria, England. The railway station is a stop on the scenic Cumbrian Coast Line, 11+1/2mi south of. Some through trains to the Furness Line towards stop here. It is operated by Northern who provide all passenger train services.The station (which dates from 1850) is a busy freight location, as much of the nuclear waste for Sellafield's Thorp nuclear fuel reprocessing plant is carried by train here from the docks in Barrow-in-Furness or from rail-connected nuclear power stations elsewhere in the UK. The facility also generates significant commuter traffic for the railway, with workers travelling by train to their jobs here from the nearby towns & villages.The station marks the end of the single line section from Whitehaven, which is operated using the electric key token system. From here the line southwards towards Ravenglass and Barrow is double track, except for the final section between Park South Junction and Barrow, also single since the late 1980s. The station track configuration is unusual in that the southbound ('up' line) is bi-directional through the station and has platform faces on both sides (though only the western one is actually used, the other side being fenced off) - this allows trains from the south to terminate here & turn back without having to enter the single line section to St Bees. The signal box controlling the layout is located at the north end of the station, whilst the plant exchange sidings and loco depot used by DRS freight trains are to the south. Two water cranes are sited at the station (one at each end).

Tags: Landmark & Historical Place