Blackpool branch lines

Blackpool branch lines
A Northern Rail Class 142 close to Blackpool Pleasure Beach station
Overview
System	National Rail
Status	Operational
Locale	Lancashire North West England
Termini	Preston Blackpool North/South
Stations	13
Operation
Owner	Network Rail
Operator(s)	Northern Virgin Trains
Rolling stock	Class 142 Class 150 Class 153 Class 156 Class 158 Class 221 Class 319 Class 390
Technical
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge

Blackpool & Fleetwood branch lines
Fleetwood Wyre Dock Burn Naze Halt Thornton–Cleveleys Ramper Road Poulton Curve Halt Layton Poulton-le-Fylde original second Blackpool North Singleton Blackpool Central Blackpool South Kirkham and Wesham South Shore Salwick Blackpool Pleasure Beach Lea Road Squires Gate West Coast Main Line Gillett's Crossing Halt Preston & Longridge Rly St Annes-on-the-Sea Maudlands Ansdell and Fairhaven West Coast Main Line Lytham Wrea Green Moss Side Lytham (Station Road)

The Blackpool branch lines run from Preston to Blackpool. The lines split at Kirkham and Wesham junction - a double track branch runs to Blackpool North station (Blackpool's main passenger station) through Poulton-le-Fylde, while a single track branch runs via Lytham to Blackpool South station.

The route to Blackpool North was re-signalled and electrified, with electric trains starting running from the May 2018 timetable change.

Preston to Blackpool North

The route is used by the bulk of Blackpool's passenger trains, providing services to Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds as well as other destinations. The planned electrification of the Manchester to Blackpool North route was announced in December 2009.^[1][2]

At Poulton, the freight-only Burn Naze branch diverged but the junction has now been removed during the recent trackwork. This served the industrial areas and ports around Fleetwood and used to carry passenger traffic to the town until 1970, but the line has now been lifted from Burn Naze onward. Proposals exist to reopen the line in the future, as a large amount of track still remains and volunteers have begun to clear the line of the vegetation with which it was previously overgrown.^[3]

Virgin Trains run trains between Blackpool North and London Euston using Class 390 and Class 221s.

Northern operate frequent services on the line. First TransPennine Express formerly ran hourly services to Manchester Airport, but responsibility for these passed to the new Northern franchise as from the beginning of April 2016.^[4]

Preston to Blackpool South

This branch serves Lytham St Annes as well as Blackpool Pleasure Beach, each with their own station. It follows the Preston to Blackpool North line as far as Kirkham Junction. Currently one service per hour runs along this branch, with most trains running beyond Preston to Colne via the East Lancashire line. The line from Kirkham to Blackpool South was reduced from double to single track in stages between 1982 & 1986 - as there are no intermediate passing loops, the route has limited capacity. Until 1964 it ran further north into Blackpool to serve Blackpool Central station.

Kirkham to Blackpool Central

As well as the line via Blackpool South, a flyover junction at Kirkham and Wesham provided direct access to Blackpool Central station. Blackpool Central station closed in 1964 and its site is now where the Central Car Park stands; the trackbed and embankment has been used for the road Yeadon Way (built in the 1980s), which provides direct access from the M55. The first 2 miles of the M55 also occupy the former trackbed, until the Blackpool North line travels under the motorway at the point where the lines used to merge.

Electrification

The electrification of the Manchester to Blackpool North route was announced in December 2009. The main work of piling etc. to accomplish this commenced in early 2017. Bridgeworks along the route to raise and rebuild those that had insufficient clearance for overhead wires was completed first. Services over both the Blackpool South and Blackpool North branches temporarily ceased on 11 November 2017 to allow the track layout at Blackpool North and Kirkham to be remodelled and a third platform at Kirkham and Wesham station constructed (along with other facility improvements).Both lines were re-signalled and Overhead Line installation took place on the Preston to Blackpool North section, the completion date being 16 April 2018 enabling electric trains to run from May 2018. Services to Blackpool South resumed on 29 January 2018 and the line to Blackpool North re-opened on 16 April 2018 with electric trains operating from the 20 May 2018 timetable change using Class 390 and 319 Electrical Multiple Units.

See also

• Fleetwood Branch Line
• Preston and Wyre Joint Railway

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Blackpool branch lines.