It was finally agreed by Dalston Parish Council at its January meeting to proceed with the station access project in this financial year ending 31st March 2008 and Derek Tolson & Sons were awarded the contract. This improvement scheme has been pursued for environmental enhancement as well as pedestrian safety reasons.

Financial support has been offered by Mallinson Fabrications, BP Oils, Carlisle Parish Councils Association (Cumbria and Carlisle City Council funding) and hopefully from Carlisle City Ward Councillors Discretionary Fund, for which the Parish Council is extremely grateful. Carlisle City Council has attended to the laying of an adjacent hedgerow and is replacing a lighting standard. Network Rail and Cumbria Highways have been unable to support the project financially but the County Council has agreed to move the ‘Dalston’ sign to opposite the Barras Lane Industrial Estate entrance and replace the railway station sign once the work is completed.

In total, the project will cost in the region of £40,000. To carry out the work to a standard which might, ultimately, have enabled adoption of the access to the station by Cumbria County Council would have been far too costly to justify. It is hoped that the work will commence and be completed within the next few weeks. Apologies are extended to anyone inconvenienced by the works.