A SHORT ceremony was held at Barrow railway station to mark a special anniversary.

Dignitaries came together to celebrate the 175th anniversary of both the Furness Railway and the Lakes Line, which opened in 1846 and transformed the way goods and passengers were transported in the county.

To mark the occasion, a class 195 train was renamed the 'Pride of Cumbria'.

The new name was unveiled by Mayor Helen Wall and it will proudly display its new nameplate as it provides services along the line in Cumbria as well as on routes in the north west and Yorkshire.

MP Simon Fell said: "175 years of the Furness Line is really 175 years of Barrow.

"The railway led to Barrow growing, in 25 years, from a handful of sheep farmers to the Chicago of England.

"Barrow's role in the world now is one that's looked on with envy.

"People around the world recognise the incredible talent in the shipyard - where they are building something which has only one rival in the world in terms of mechanical engineering complexity - the International Space Station.

"It's done here at the end of our peninsula that would not exist if it wasn't for this railway line."

He also called for more investment in the town.

"Now is the time to make the case to Government for substantial investment in infrastructure as a national endeavour," he said.

"More trains, but also upgrades to the A590 and services to the county."

Chris Jackson, regional director at Northern Rail, added: "This is a culmination of not just the last 175 years, but especially the last two years of hard work.

"It would be remiss not to say we had a bumpy start with the rollout of the new trains, but now we are at record levels of reliability and punctuality.

"While the old trains served their purpose, we were glad to see the back of them and to have introduced a modern fleet.

"We see incredible potential for growth in Cumbria, especially for leisure travel."

The final pacer train in Northern's network left Manchester Victoria on November 27, 2020.

Tim Owen, chairman of both the Furness and Lakes Community Rail Partnership, said: "The Lakes and Furness lines are leading the way in terms of growth.

"Over the past two years we've worked with the Department for Transport and rail companies to sort out timetables to meet local people's needs.

"Just while we've been at this platform, two full trains have left for Manchester Airport.

"Two years ago, there would've been one and it wouldn't have been full.

"Every station in Cumbria now has a Community Partnership, which work out what trains people want to catch and where.

"There's a social value to this. Kents Bank Station has more than 40 people who come out, look after the station and socialise doing it.

"Since we started, we've had growth higher than the national average."

Kerstin Esbjornsson, Community Rail Partnership Officer, Furness Line & Lakes Line, said: “The 175 anniversary events are celebrating rail history with a firm view to the future, our communities along the lines and engagement with rail users and the younger generations.

“The commemorations, community events and work with schools wouldn’t have been possible but for the fantastic contributions from our volunteers, aided by the robust support from community stakeholders and the rail industry.

“A special thank you go to our funders and major supporters; Community Rail Network, Northern, Avanti, TransPennine Express, Network Rail, Furness Railway Trust and Barrow BID together with the awesome 175 artist Dez.”