Blackpool North railway station
Blackpool North | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Location | Blackpool |
| Managed by | Northern Rail |
| Platforms | 8 |
| Other information | |
| Station code | BPN |
| Key dates | |
| 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 |
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. Virgin have now re-introduced a daily service to London from Blackpool North starting 15th December 2015.
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, which is planned to be extended to the station in the near future in a new transport interchange.
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]
The station was recommended for closure in the Beeching Report (1963), but following lobbying by Blackpool Corporation it was Blackpool Central—Blackpool's other centrally-located station, but whose site was better-suited for re-development—which closed in 1964.
The main station buildings, train shed & platforms were decommissioned and demolished in 1974, replaced by the current station based on the former excursion platforms.
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] This will result in the semaphore signalling at the station being replaced by modern colour lights controlled from the WCML North Rail Operating Centre in Manchester and will also see the station track & platform layout altered (the current eight curved platforms will be reduced to six on a straighter alignment than at present). Work has begun to raise many of the intermediate overbridges to accommodate the overhead wires and the project was due for completion by May 2016,[8] with the line onwards to Manchester following by the end of the year. This has since been pushed back to March 2017 so that the track remodelling & resignalling work can be carried out at the same time as the wiring, reducing disruption to passengers (as only one period of closure will be required).[9] Trains to both Manchester (Victoria & Piccadilly) and Liverpool Lime Street (as well as to the West Midlands & London) can then be worked by electric traction.
Future services
In September 2014, it was announced that Virgin Trains would restore the direct link to London that was withdrawn in 2003. This would see one train a day in each direction between Blackpool North and London Euston.
From 15 December 2014, a daily service to and from London Euston will commence. The outbound service will depart Blackpool at 05:25, arriving at London Euston at 08:34.[10]
The return service will depart London Euston at 16:33, arriving into Blackpool North at 19:31.[11]
Services
The station is served by Northern Rail and First TransPennine Express.[12]
- Northern Rail operates as follows:
- 1tph (train per hour) to York via Burnley (Manchester Road), Bradford Interchange and Leeds. These services are operated by Class 158 Express Sprinter units.
- 1tph to Liverpool Lime Street via St Helens Central, with a few extensions to Liverpool South Parkway. These services are operated by Class 142 Pacer units, Class 150 Sprinter units and Class 156 Super Sprinter units.
- 1tph to Manchester Victoria via Chorley, plus one a.m peak service to Hazel Grove via Manchester Piccadilly. These services are operated by Class 142 Pacer units, Class 150 Sprinter units and Class 156 Super Sprinter units.
- First TransPennine Express operates as follows:
- 1tph to Manchester Airport via Chorley and Manchester Piccadilly.
All First TransPennine Express services are operated by Class 185 Desiro units.
References
- ^ a b Hartley, S. and Mitchell, L. (2005) Template:PDFlink, 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. Retrieved 2008-04-16.
- ^ "Blackpool station set for £600,000 first". Blackpool Gazette. 2 November 2007. Retrieved 2008-04-16.
- ^ Taylor, Stuart (2005). Kirkham to Blackpool (North) and Fleetwood for the Isle of Man. Bredbury: Foxline. pp. 51–52, 56, 59, 75–76. ISBN 1-870119-74-6.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - ^ "Railways to get £8bn investment". BBC News. 26 November 2010. Retrieved 26 November 2010.
- ^ Network Rail - Electrification in the North West Network Rail website; Retrieved 2013-08-28
- ^ "Electrification to be shunted back into 2017'Blackpool Gazette news article 21-06-2014; Retrieved 2014-09-06
- ^ http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/service/timesandfares/BPN/EUS/151214/0525/dep National Rail Enquiries "Train times Blackpool North to London Euston"
- ^ http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/service/timesandfares/EUS/BPN/151214/1633/dep National Rail Enquiries "Train times London Euston to Blackpool North
- ^ GB National Rail Timetable 19 May - 7 December 2013 - Tables 41,82 & 97
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 |
Layton | ||
| Terminus | Northern Rail Blackpool Branch Line |
Layton | ||
| Terminus | Northern Rail York - Blackpool Line |
Layton | ||
| Terminus | First Transpennine Express TransPennine North West |
Poulton-le-Fylde | ||
| Terminus | Virgin Trains WCML Blackpool Branch |
Poulton-le-Fylde | ||
| Disused railways | ||||
| Terminus | Preston and Wyre Joint Railway Blackpool Branch Line |
Bispham | ||
