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Suggest pagesBlackpool North railway station
Blackpool North  |
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|---|---|
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| Blackpool North railway station entrance | |
| Location | |
| Place | Blackpool |
| Local authority | Blackpool |
| Coordinates | 53°49′18″N 3°02′57″W / 53.8218°N 3.0493°WCoordinates: 53°49′18″N 3°02′57″W / 53.8218°N 3.0493°W |
| Operations | |
| Station code | BPN |
| Managed by | Northern Rail |
| Number of platforms | 8 |
| Live arrivals/departures and station information from National Rail Enquiries |
|
| Annual rail passenger usage | |
| 2004/05 * | 1.664 million |
| 2005/06 * |  1.610 million |
| 2006/07 * |  1.673 million |
| 2007/08 * | 1.684 million |
| 2008/09 * | 1.621 million |
| 2009/10 * | 1.613 million |
| History | |
| 29 April 1846 | Opened as Talbot Road[1][2][3] |
| 1898 | Rebuilt[1] |
| Unknown date | Renamed Blackpool North |
| 1974 | Rebuilt on site of former excursion platforms |
| 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 Blackpool North from Office of Rail Regulation statistics. Please note: methodology may vary year on year. | |
Blackpool North railway station is the main railway station serving the seaside resort of Blackpool in Lancashire, England. It is the terminus of the main Blackpool branch line from Preston.
The station was opened in its present form in 1974, and succeeded a previous station a few hundred yards away on Talbot Road which had first opened in 1846 and had been rebuilt in 1898. The present station is based on the 1938 concrete canopy which covered the entrance to the former excursion platforms of the old station.
Blackpool North was on the InterCity network until 2003 when Virgin Trains withdrew HST and Voyager services to London Euston and Birmingham.[4] Former local franchise holder First North Western ran services from Blackpool to London Euston, but these were soon discontinued. Passengers must now change at Preston for InterCity connections.
Blackpool's other station, Blackpool South, is situated in the south of the town, with services towards Preston and Colne, and does not connect to Blackpool North.
As Blackpool is a popular tourist resort, with its famous Pleasure Beach and beaches, there are many measures put in to prevent fare evasion, including automated barrier checks[5] as well as the conductors on the train. The station is approximately half a mile along Talbot Road from the Blackpool tramway.
Contents |
[edit] History
The first station opened on 29 April 1846 as Talbot Road, and was first rebuilt in 1898. The rebuilt station consisted of two parallel train sheds and a terminal building, in Dickson Road between Talbot Road and Queen Street. Platforms 1 to 6 were located in the sheds, with a larger island between platforms 1 and 2 to accommodate taxis. In addition, there was effectively, in all but name, a separate station at the east end of Queen Street, with open "excursion" platforms 7 to 16, used only in summer.[6] In 1974 the main station was demolished, replaced by the current station based on the former excursion platforms.
[edit] Electrification
On 25 November 2010 it was announced that the lines between Preston and Blackpool would be electrified, along with the line between Manchester and Preston.[7]
[edit] Future services
The Department for Transport has announced that Blackpool will again have through services to London after the new InterCity West Coast franchise starts at the beginning of 2013 and once the Blackpool-Preston line is electrified. It is intended that this service would operate every two hours. Meanwhile, applications to operate London-Blackpool through trains, even without the line being electrified, have been lodged by open-access operators Alliance Rail Holdings (who would use dual-mode electric/diesel trains) and Grand Central Railway (using Mark 3 coaches hauled by Class 67 diesel locomotives).[8]
[edit] Services
The station is served by Northern Rail and First TransPennine Express.
- Northern Rail operates as follows:
- 1tph (train per hour) to York via Preston, Blackburn, Accrington, Burnley (Manchester Road), Halifax, Bradford Interchange and Leeds. These services are operated by Class 158 Express Sprinter units.
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- 1tph to Liverpool Lime Street via Preston, Wigan North Western and St Helens Central, with a few extensions to Liverpool South Parkway. These services are operated by Class 150 Sprinter units and Class 156 Super Sprinter units.
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- 1tph to Manchester Victoria via Preston, Chorley, Bolton, Salford Crescent and Salford Central, with a daily extension to Manchester Oxford Road, Manchester Piccadilly, Stockport and Hazel Grove. This extension is the only service operated by Northern to call at Manchester Oxford Road and Manchester Piccadilly, all other services to Oxford Road and Piccadilly stations are operated by First TransPennine Express. These services are operated by Class 180 Adelante units.
- First TransPennine Express operates as follows:
- 1tph to Manchester Airport via Preston, Chorley, Bolton, Salford Crescent, Manchester Oxford Road and Manchester Piccadilly.
First TransPennine Express also operate a single daily service at 09.14 to Barrow-in-Furness via Preston, Lancaster, Carnforth and Arnside. There is also a 22.45 service from Windermere to Blackpool North.
First TransPennine Express also operate a daily service to Glasgow Central on Sundays only at 17.30, via Preston, Lancaster, Oxenholme Lake District and Carlisle that attaches to the same service originating from Manchester Airport.
All First TransPennine Express services are operated by Class 185 Desiro units.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Hartley, S. and Mitchell, L. (2005) Lancashire Historic Town Survey—BlackpoolPDF (25.5 MiB), Lancashire County Council Environment Directorate, accessed 30 October 2007, p.23
- ^ Welch, M.S. (2004) Lancashire Steam Finale, Runpast Publishing, Cheltenham, ISBN 1-870754-61-1, p.26
- ^ Suggitt, G. (2003, revised 2004) Lost Railways of Lancashire, Countryside Books, Newbury, ISBN 1-85306-801-2, p.36
- ^ "Service will not be back on track". Blackpool Gazette. 27 May 2003. http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/blackpoolnews/Service-will-not-be-back.522770.jp. Retrieved 2008-04-16.
- ^ "Blackpool station set for £600,000 first". Blackpool Gazette. 2 November 2007. http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/blackpoolnews/Blackpool-station-set-for-600000.3442923.jp. Retrieved 2008-04-16.
- ^ Taylor, S. (2005) Kirkham to Blackpool (North) and Fleetwood for the Isle of Man, Foxline, Bredbury, ISBN 1-801197-74-6, pp.51–52, 56, 59, 75–76
- ^ "Railways to get £8bn investment". BBC News. 26 November 2010. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11834531. Retrieved 26 November 2010.
- ^ Miles, Tony (December 2010). "Blackpool through service proposed in West Coast path frenzy". Modern Railways (London): p. 6.
[edit] External links
- Train times and station information for Blackpool North railway station from National Rail
- Blackpool & Fylde Rail Users’ Association—Blackpool North, accessed 17 October 2007
| Preceding station |  National Rail |
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terminus | Northern Rail Blackpool-Liverpool Line |
Kirkham and Wesham | ||
| Terminus | Northern Rail Blackpool Branch Line |
Layton | ||
| Terminus | Northern Rail York - Blackpool Line |
Poulton-le-Fylde | ||
| Terminus | First Transpennine Express TransPennine North West |
Layton | ||
| Disused railways | ||||
| Terminus | Preston and Wyre Joint Railway Blackpool Branch Line |
Bispham | ||
