Manchester to Preston Line
Encyclopedia
The Manchester to Preston Line runs from the city of Manchester
to Preston, Lancashire. It is largely used by commuters entering Manchester from surrounding suburbs and cities, but is also one of the main railway lines in the North West and is utilised by intercity services for Scotland
and the north. Electrification ends just north of . It was announced on 9 December, 2009 that the line would be electrified, this follows the announcement in July 2009 that the Chat Moss
route between Manchester and Liverpool is to be electrified in the next few years.
The line is one of the busiest in the North West, with at least seven trains per hour in each direction during the off-peak daytime timetable. The line speed is currently 75 mph, but could be increased to allow faster running for the high speed express services. When the line was an extension of the Manchester-Bournemouth line, the trains would go faster than 75 mph but this was due to a low amount of other trains running at the time (London Midland, Transpennine Express, and Northern ran during the times Virgin ran but infrequently)
as far as , where it uses the Windsor Link
to reach and joins the line from Manchester Victoria.
The line then skirts the outer suburbs of Salford and then passes through the suburbs of Bolton including Kearsley
and Farnworth
, following the Irwell Valley for much of the route. After Bolton, the line cuts through the western suburbs of Bolton including Lostock and Horwich
, before entering Lancashire and passing through the town of Adlington
and on to Chorley
. It passes through , which opened in 2011, and joins the West Coast Main Line at Euxton Junction.
To its north, the line merges into the West Coast Main Line
. To the south, many trains continue on the line to Manchester Airport. Some services also enter it from the Ribble Valley Line
at Bolton
.
trains are now the most frequent units on the line: working for TransPennine Express to Blackpool, Barrow, Windermere, Glasgow and Edinburgh. In the other direction, they all usually work to Manchester Piccadilly and onto Manchester Airport although engineering works can mean units working to Manchester Victoria instead.
Prior to 2007, Class 175 trains worked the majority of these services before the 185s took over. Between May 2001 and December 2006, they worked all Barrow and Windermere services and the majority of the Blackpool services. However, they never worked to Scotland due to this being a Virgin Cross Country service until December 2007.
Northern operate a variety of rolling stock for their services, with Class 142
, Class 150 and Class 156 units all appearing regularly on the line. Class 153 units also use the line - mainly seen on a booked daily service between Stockport and Blackpool North in the evening (usually coupled up with another unit for strengthening purposes).
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
to Preston, Lancashire. It is largely used by commuters entering Manchester from surrounding suburbs and cities, but is also one of the main railway lines in the North West and is utilised by intercity services for Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and the north. Electrification ends just north of . It was announced on 9 December, 2009 that the line would be electrified, this follows the announcement in July 2009 that the Chat Moss
Chat Moss
Chat Moss is a large area of peat bog that makes up 30 percent of the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. It is north of the River Irwell, to the west of Manchester, and occupies an area of about...
route between Manchester and Liverpool is to be electrified in the next few years.
The line is one of the busiest in the North West, with at least seven trains per hour in each direction during the off-peak daytime timetable. The line speed is currently 75 mph, but could be increased to allow faster running for the high speed express services. When the line was an extension of the Manchester-Bournemouth line, the trains would go faster than 75 mph but this was due to a low amount of other trains running at the time (London Midland, Transpennine Express, and Northern ran during the times Virgin ran but infrequently)
Route
The line begins at Manchester Piccadilly, which offers rail links to most large cities in the country. Trains using the route will call at the through platforms 13 and 14 on the west side of the station. It then follows the route of the Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham RailwayManchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway
The Manchester South Junction and Altrincham Railway was a suburban railway which operated a 13.7 km route between Altrincham in Cheshire and London Road Station in Manchester....
as far as , where it uses the Windsor Link
Windsor Link
The Windsor Link is a short but key railway line in central Manchester that connects Salford Crescent and Deansgate stations, opened in 1988. The new link allows services from north west of Manchester to be diverted from Manchester Victoria to Manchester Piccadilly, emphasising the latter's status...
to reach and joins the line from Manchester Victoria.
The line then skirts the outer suburbs of Salford and then passes through the suburbs of Bolton including Kearsley
Kearsley
Kearsley is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, in Greater Manchester, England. Historically within Lancashire, it lies about 7½ miles northwest of Manchester,5.5 miles south-west of Bury, and about 3¾ miles south of Bolton.It is bounded on the west by Walkden, the east by...
and Farnworth
Farnworth
Farnworth is within the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton in Greater Manchester, England. It is located southeast of Bolton, 6 miles south-west of Bury , and northwest of Manchester....
, following the Irwell Valley for much of the route. After Bolton, the line cuts through the western suburbs of Bolton including Lostock and Horwich
Horwich
Horwich is a town and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, in Greater Manchester, England. It is southeast of Chorley, northwest of Bolton and northwest from the city of Manchester. It lies at the southern edge of the West Pennine Moors with the M61 motorway close to the...
, before entering Lancashire and passing through the town of Adlington
Adlington, Lancashire
Adlington is a town and civil parish in Lancashire, England, near the West Pennine Moors and the town of Chorley. Six miles northwest of Bolton, it became a separate parish in 1842 then grew into a town around the textile industry. It has a population of 5,270.-Toponymy:The last element 'ington'...
and on to Chorley
Chorley
Chorley is a market town in Lancashire, in North West England. It is the largest settlement in the Borough of Chorley. The town's wealth came principally from the cotton industry...
. It passes through , which opened in 2011, and joins the West Coast Main Line at Euxton Junction.
To its north, the line merges into the West Coast Main Line
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
. To the south, many trains continue on the line to Manchester Airport. Some services also enter it from the Ribble Valley Line
Ribble Valley Line
The Ribble Valley Line is a railway line that runs from Manchester Victoria through Blackburn to the small market town of Clitheroe in Lancashire. Regular passenger services normally only run as far as Clitheroe, but occasional passenger services run along the line through north Lancashire towards...
at Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
.
Operators
Three operators operate services along the length of the route:- Northern RailNorthern RailNorthern Rail is a British train operating company that has operated local passenger services in Northern England since 2004. Northern Rail's owner, Serco-Abellio, is a consortium formed of Abellio and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems...
operate services from , (Sundays only), , Manchester Victoria, and occasionally and HuddersfieldHuddersfield railway stationHuddersfield railway station serves the town of Huddersfield in West Yorkshire, England.The station is managed by First TransPennine Express who provide trains between the North East, North and East Yorkshire, and Leeds to the east and Manchester Piccadilly and North West.It is also served by local...
to , , , , and . They stop at the smaller suburban stations along the line. Northern generally operate stopping services calling at most or all of the stations on the line.
- TransPennine Express operate express services that only call at selected stations on the route. They are generally services that start at , , , , and occasionally . They follow the line to Manchester Piccadilly and continue south to Manchester Airport. TransPennine Express operate four 'portion trains' each day - they all split at Preston. These are:
- 08:47 Manchester Airport to Blackpool North and Windermere
- 12:47 Manchester Airport to Blackpool North and Windermere
- 16:47 Manchester Airport to Glasgow Central and Blackpool North
- 17:32 Manchester Airport to Barrow-in-Furness and Blackpool North
- In addition, several operators use the line partially. Arriva Trains WalesArriva Trains WalesArriva Trains Wales is a train operating company, owned by Arriva, that operates urban and inter urban passenger services in Wales and the Welsh Marches...
operate services that stop only at Manchester Oxford Road before branching off at Ordsall Lane Junction onto the older, northern section of the two Liverpool to Manchester LinesLiverpool to Manchester LinesThere are two Liverpool to Manchester railway lines between the cities of Liverpool and Manchester in the North West of England. The 'Northern Route' via and to either or follows the route of the original Liverpool and Manchester Railway...
en-route to LlandudnoLlandudnoLlandudno is a seaside resort and town in Conwy County Borough, Wales. In the 2001 UK census it had a population of 20,090 including that of Penrhyn Bay and Penrhynside, which are within the Llandudno Community...
via and . East Midlands TrainsEast Midlands TrainsEast Midlands Trains is a British passenger train operating company. Based in Derby, it provides train services in the East Midlands, chiefly in the counties of Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Northamptonshire, and between the East Midlands and London...
also operate services between NorwichNorwichNorwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
and Liverpool Lime StreetLiverpool Lime Street railway stationLiverpool Lime Street is a railway station serving the city centre of Liverpool, England. The station lies on a branch of the West Coast Main Line from London Euston, and on the Wirral Line of the Merseyrail network...
, and various other Northern RailNorthern RailNorthern Rail is a British train operating company that has operated local passenger services in Northern England since 2004. Northern Rail's owner, Serco-Abellio, is a consortium formed of Abellio and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems...
services also operate into Liverpool via parts of the line in Manchester.
Freight and diversions
The line is an important diversionary route at weekends, used in conjunction with the Crewe to Manchester Line to divert away from a large section of the West Coast Main Line if required. The convenience is that this only adds 45 minutes to a journey and negates the need for costly bus replacement services. Some freight still uses this line, especially during the peak periods during the day. It is, however, a primary passenger route in the North West of England.Trains
Class 185British Rail Class 185
The Class 185 Pennine Desiro is a diesel multiple-unit passenger train of the Desiro type built by Siemens in Germany for the British train operating company First TransPennine Express.51 units were acquired, representing an investment of £250 million....
trains are now the most frequent units on the line: working for TransPennine Express to Blackpool, Barrow, Windermere, Glasgow and Edinburgh. In the other direction, they all usually work to Manchester Piccadilly and onto Manchester Airport although engineering works can mean units working to Manchester Victoria instead.
Prior to 2007, Class 175 trains worked the majority of these services before the 185s took over. Between May 2001 and December 2006, they worked all Barrow and Windermere services and the majority of the Blackpool services. However, they never worked to Scotland due to this being a Virgin Cross Country service until December 2007.
Northern operate a variety of rolling stock for their services, with Class 142
British Rail Class 142
The British Rail Class 142 is a class of Pacer diesel multiple units used in the United Kingdom. 96 units were built by BREL in Derby between 1985 and 1987. They were a development of the earlier Class 141 which were introduced in 1984....
, Class 150 and Class 156 units all appearing regularly on the line. Class 153 units also use the line - mainly seen on a booked daily service between Stockport and Blackpool North in the evening (usually coupled up with another unit for strengthening purposes).
See also
- Manchester and Bolton RailwayManchester and Bolton RailwayThe Manchester and Bolton Railway was a railway in the historic county of Lancashire, England, connecting Salford to Bolton. It was built by the proprietors of the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal Navigation and Railway Company who had in 1831 converted from a canal company...