Blackburn railway station
Blackburn  |
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| Location | |
| Place | Blackburn |
| Local authority | Blackburn with Darwen |
| Grid reference | SD684279 |
| Operations | |
| Station code | BBN |
| Managed by | Northern Rail |
| Number of platforms | 4 |
| Live arrivals/departures and station information from National Rail Enquiries |
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| Annual rail passenger usage* | |
| 2004/05 | 0.930 million |
| 2005/06 |  0.982 million |
| 2006/07 | 1.051 million |
| 2007/08 | 1.132 million |
| 2008/09 | 1.171 million |
| 2009/10 | 1.184 million |
| 2010/11 | 1.255 million |
| History | |
| Opened 1846 | |
| National Rail – UK railway stations | |
| A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | |
| * Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Blackburn from Office of Rail Regulation statistics. Methodology may vary year on year. | |
 UK Railways portal |
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Blackburn railway station is a railway station that serves the town of Blackburn in Lancashire, England. It is 12 miles (19 km) east of Preston and is managed and served by Northern Rail.
Contents |
Description [edit]
The station is served by two lines. One line runs 'north - south' comprising the re-opened Ribble Valley Line from Clitheroe in the north and continuing through Blackburn towards Darwen, Bolton and terminating at Manchester Victoria. The line from Bolton opened in 1847, with that to Clitheroe following in 1872 (and extended through to Hellifield in 1880).
The other line runs 'east - west' and is served by trains from Blackpool and Preston in the west travelling to Burnley (Manchester Road and Central, Colne, (the East Lancashire Line), Leeds and as far as York in the east (the Caldervale Line). The line from Preston was the first to serve the town, opening in 1846 with the extension eastwards to Accrington following two years later.
The station was covered by twin train sheds, an architecturally detailed canopy that covered all platforms. In 2000, due to its decaying state, it was removed changing the nature of the station in a £5 million regeneration project. A new building was built on the main island platform. The Grade II listed original entrance built in the 1880s,[1] including the station buffet and former booking hall, was retained and refurbished. A piece of public artwork by artist Stephen Charnock [2] was also erected at the edge of the platform, which consists of a stainless steel screen depicting Blackburn's industrial past and its more modern life today. The images include some of Blackburn's most famous and successful figures such as Carl Fogarty, Wayne Hemingway and Jack Walker.
In 2003 a police station was opened in the upper floor of the old booking hall, to provide services in the town centre when the town's main police station was replaced by Greenbank police station in Whitebirk.[3]
The station is well connected with public transport in Blackburn, with the Blackburn Boulevard bus station situated directly in front of the station building.
In April 2011, £1.7 million was raised for the construction of a canopy on platform 4 and a lift to the subway below. From the refurbishment of the station 10 years earlier, only bus style shelters had been provided with no lift access.[4]
On 24 October 2011, the rebuild of platform 4 was completed, now boasting a roof matching the one on platforms 1 and 2, lift, heated waiting room and improved flooring.[5]
New LED departure information display screens have also been installed.
Services [edit]
From Blackburn on the Ribble Valley Line, there is generally an hourly service southbound to Manchester Victoria (half-hourly at peak times) and northbound to Clitheroe.[6] An hourly service runs on Sundays, with one or two through Dalesrail trains to Carlisle in the summer.
On the East Lancashire Line, Monday to Saturdays there is an hourly service all stops to Blackpool South to the west and Colne to the east. Two-hourly on Sundays.
On the Caldervale Line, Monday to Saturdays there is an hourly Express service to Preston and Blackpool North westbound and to Bradford, Leeds and York eastbound. This also now runs hourly on Sundays during the summer since the May 2009 timetable change.[7]
Platforms in use [edit]
The station has 4 platforms, the main platform (Platforms 1,2 & 3) includes a ticket office, waiting room, toilets and outdoor seating. The separate Platform 4 has a heated waited room and outdoor seating. All three through platforms are bi-directional meaning any service can use any platform, however, most trains are booked on the following platforms:
| Platform | Line | Destination |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ribble Valley Line | Ramsgreave and Wilpshire, Langho, Whalley and Clitheroe |
| 2 | Caldervale line | Express service to Accrington, Leeds and York |
| East Lancashire Line | All stations to Colne | |
| 3 | West-facing bay platform used mainly for early morning trains to Manchester Victoria | |
| 4 | East Lancashire Line | All stations to Preston and Blackpool South |
| Caldervale line | Express service to Preston, Poulton-le-Fylde and Blackpool North | |
| Ribble Valley Line | Darwen, Bolton & Manchester Victoria |
Notes [edit]
- ^ "Detailed Record: Blackburn Railway Station". Images of England. English Heritage. 2007. Retrieved 2009-09-19.
- ^ Scartworks redeveloping work on the station
- ^ "New station offers safe haven in town". Lancashire Evening Telegraph. Newsquest Media Group. 2003-02-05. Retrieved 2009-09-19.
- ^ BBC Lancashire news article on platform 4's canopy (8th April 2011)
- ^ New Platform Facilities Arrive on Time
- ^ Northern Rail timetable 12 - Manchester - Clitheroe 17 May to 12 December 2009 Northern Rail website; Retrieved 2009-06-24
- ^ Northern Rail timetable 8: York - Blackpool 17 May to 12 December 2009 Northern Rail website; Retrieved 2009-06-24
External links [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Blackburn railway station |
- Train times and station information for Blackburn railway station from National Rail
- Blackburn Railway Station Glazed Platform Canopy
| Preceding station |  National Rail |
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mill Hill | Northern Rail East Lancashire Line |
Rishton | ||
| Preston | Northern Rail Caldervale Line |
Accrington | ||
| Darwen | Northern Rail Ribble Valley Line |
Ramsgreave & Wilpshire |
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| Historical railways | ||||
| Lower Darwen Line open, station closed |
L&YR Ribble Valley Line |
Daisyfield Line open, station closed |
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| Mill Hill | L&YR / LNWR joint Lancashire Union Railway |
Terminus | ||
| Disused railways | ||||
| Terminus | L&YR Great Harwood Loop |
Great Harwood Line and station closed |
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Coordinates: 53°44′47″N 2°28′45″W / 53.746396°N 2.479083°W
