As of last Friday (23rd July) much of the netting under the roof of Carlisle Station, together with the dead pigeons entangled in it which had caused so much concern to rail passengers, had been removed. 

We understand that this and the improvement of the area in front of Platforms 5 & 6 are all part of the same station improvement plan.  We have been assured that the budget for this is safe in spite of government cutbacks, so we live in hope...

Network Rail's restoration and refurbishment of Garsdale Station was recognised last year with a National Rail Heritage Award.  FoSCL contributed £10,000 towards the cost, which funded the display boards inside the two waiting rooms.  These high quality displays tell the story of Garsdale (formerly Hawes Junction) station and the sad tale of Ruswarp the dog, whose bronze statue now stands on a plinth on the up platform.  FoSCL launched a highly successful appeal for the statue, which has now become a tourist attraction in its own right. 

Work is scheduled to begin on the planned enhancements to the area in front of Platforms 5 and 6 at Carlisle Citadel Station the second week in July.

This will include a "gateway" to the Settle-Carlisle Line and the Hadrian's Wall line, plus a new seating area with displays. 

The S&C section of Michael Portillo's widely acclaimed TV series on great rail journeys is still available to watch on YouTube.  It's split into several sections because YouTube only allows a maximum of 10 minutes per entry.  Just click on these links to see it:

S&C journey Part 1