Carnforth Railway Station was opened in 1846 by the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway Company as a roadside "second class" station, and was originally just a single platform. It is now thought that the original Lancaster and Carlisle station building, is the building that in later years became the Carnforth station refreshment room.

The Carnforth Station "Brief Encounter" clock,
after its recent refurbishment.
Photo Paul Morris-Munro

By 1867, the Furness and Midland Railway had constructed a short link line, 9 1/2 miles long, which connected the Midland Railway at Wennington, with the Furness Railway, close to Carnforth.
The Furness and Midland Railway built a  small station at Carnforth, a few hundred yards away from the existing station, along the Warton Road.  This station was only open for about a year, before a replacement Furness and Midland Railway  station was built, approximately  1/2 mile to  the west.

This second Furness and Midland Railway station remained open until the 1st August 1880
On 2 ^nd August 1880  the Furness and Midland Railway station was closed, and the Midland Railway trains then were able to run into a new Midland Railway bay at the recently rebuilt and enlarged Carnforth Station.

On 2 ^nd August 1880 the London and North Western Railway Company took over the lines of the former  Lancaster and Carlisle Railway Co. and Carnforth station came under the control of three railway companies, the Furness Railway, the Midland Railway and the London and North Western Railway.  These three companies formed a management committee, and the staff wore a uniform bearing the initials "CJS" for "Carnforth, Joint Station"

In 1937 the London Midland and Scottish Railway Co. (LMSR) announced a 53,000 pound government funded, improvement scheme for Carnforth station. These improvements were completed in 1938, and involved a major rebuild of the station, and a new 890 foot long additional platform for the Furness trains. When built, this was the longest unsupported single piece concrete roof, in Britain, and possibly the world.
At this time the station lost the "Train Shed" roof, which had covered the Furness platform, and the carriage siding, and this was replaced with canopy roofs.

In 1945 Carnforth station was used as the basis, and location for the David Lean film "Brief Encounter" starring Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard, filming taking place on Carnforth station during February 1945.

In the 1960's Dr Beeching made great  changes to the railways, and gradually all the railway facilities around Carnforth station were run down and closed. By 1970, in preparation for the electrification of the West Coast Main Line (WCML) Carnforth's main line platforms were closed, and physically removed, leaving Carnforth as a branch line station.

Carnforth station lost all of its station staff, and for a short time became a "signing on" point for railway men. When the signing on point was closed the station  deteriorated, into virtually its present condition.

In November 1996 the Carnforth Station and Railway Trust Co. Ltd. was formed to attempt to rejuvenate the station, and after strenuous efforts, and with the assistance of Railtrack, plans were put  in place, and the rejuvenation of the station started late 2000.

The Rejuvenation continued for nearly three years, and on the 17th October 2003, the Brief Encounter Cafe, and the Visitor / Heritage centre's were opened.