New train timetables: all the services being reintroduced for Burnley, Blackburn, Nelson and Colne in December

A revised schedule will come into operation across the network next week - with passengers travelling from, to and through Burnley, Blackburn, Nelson and Colne amongst those set to benefit from the reinstatement of travel options that they last enjoyed before a scaled back service was introduced when Covid struck.

However, travellers are being advised to check whether the timings and destinations of the existing services they use have changed as part of the timetable overhaul, which comes into force on Sunday (11th December). They should also expect that the reintroduced services will operate at different times than when many of them last ran prior to March 2020.

The changes will see the number of trains running on key Northern-operated routes bolstered - including through East Lancashire between Colne and Preston and from Burnley Manchester Road to Manchester Victoria.

As the Local Democracy Reporting Service revealed last month, there is a lot riding on the timetable changes for the firms that operate the services, after politicians from across the North backed a proposal by Lancashire County Council’s then cabinet member for highways and transport for local authorities to withdraw their support for the current contractors if next week’s new schedule does not deliver promised improvements in reliability.

County Cllr Charlie Edwards made the call at a meeting of Transport for the North’s Rail North Committee, which heard that delays and cancellations on services provided by Northern and TransPennine Express could be costing the wider region’s economy £8m a week.

Ahead of the timetable upgrade, his successor, County Cllr Rupert Swarbrick, has reminded rail firms what is expected of them.

"The new timetables starting on Sunday will bring back a number of Lancashire's rail services which were lost in 2020.

"I'm pleased to see the restoration of these services which play a vital role in supporting Lancashire's economy and enabling our residents to go about their day to day lives.

"It is, however, vital that the improvements are delivered and that the expectations of our travelling public are met. We will be monitoring very closely how the new timetable works in practice.

"On the whole, the new timetable should be positive for passengers in Lancashire. However we will ensure our voice is heard as future investments in Central Manchester's rail infrastructure offer the opportunity for future service improvements," County Cllr Swarbrick said

The smooth operation of services passing through Manchester is seen as being key to ensuring reliability across the North.

TRAVEL CHECKERS

Details of the new timetables are now available for Northern and TransPennine Express.

The most up-to-date rail travel information can be found via National Rail Enquiries.

BACK ON TRACK

These are the additional services that will run between Monday and Saturday from next week (all services remain subject to change or cancellation by the operator and passengers should check before they travel):

NORTHERN

Todmorden Curve - Blackburn to Manchester Victoria via Burnley Manchester Road

Return of services in the 9am, 2pm and 7pm hours - departing Blackburn at 09.20, 14.20 and 19.20

Todmorden Curve - Manchester Victoria to Blackburn via Burnley Manchester Road

Return of services in the 8am, 1pm and 6pm hours - departing Manchester Victoria at 08.04, 13.04 and 18.04

Colne to Preston (via Nelson, Burnley Central, Accrington, Blackburn, Bamber Bridge and Lostock Hall)

Return of services in the 7am, 1pm and 7pm hours - departing Colne at 07.52, 13.52 and 19.52

Preston to Colne (via Lostock Hall, Bamber Bridge, Blackburn, Accrington, Burnley Central, Nelson and others)

Return of services in the 5am, 11am and 5pm hours - departing Preston at 05.21 (05.20 Sat), 11.24 and 17.23

Blackburn to Manchester Victoria

Additional hourly services between Blackburn and Manchester Victoria, which will combine with existing trains on the route to give a half-hourly service between the two destinations.

Liverpool Lime Street to Blackpool North (via Euxton Balshaw Lane, Leyland, Preston and Poulton-le-Fylde)

Return of services in the 7am, 10am, 1pm and 4pm hours - departing Liverpool Lime Street at 07.39, 10.39, 13.39 and 16.39

Blackpool North to Liverpool Lime Street (Via Poulton-le-Fylde, Preston, Leyland and Euxton Balshaw Lane)

Return of services in the 9am,12pm, 3pm and 6pm hours - departing Blackpool North at 09.05, 12.05, 15.05 and 18.04

Preston to Ormskirk

Return of a train instead of a bus in the 3pm hour - departing Preston at 15.10

Ormskirk to Preston

Return of a train instead of a bus in the 3pm hour - departing Ormskirk at 15.46

Preston to Manchester Airport (via Chorley, Bolton and Manchester Piccadilly)

Four services an hour during most daytime hours.

Adlington and Blackrod

Return of hourly off-peak services at the two stations.

TRANSPENNINE EXPRESS

Preston to Manchester Airport - via Bolton, Manchester Oxford Road and Manchester Piccadilly (Monday-Saturday)

Departing Preston at 19.48

Preston to Manchester Airport - via Manchester Oxford Road and Manchester Piccadilly (Monday-Friday)

Departing Preston at 22.46

Lancaster to Manchester Airport - via Preston, Manchester Oxford Road and Manchester Piccadilly (Monday-Saturday)

Departing Lancaster at 06.28

Manchester Airport to Edinburgh - via Preston and Lancaster (Monday-Saturday)

Departing Manchester Airport at 06.03

Manchester Airport to Glasgow - via Preston and Lancaster (Monday-Friday)

Departing Manchester Airport at 07.04

Manchester Airport to Lancaster - via Preston (Monday-Friday)

Departing Manchester Airport at 21.04

Source: Lancashire County Council (reinstated services and the clock hours in which they will run) and the Local Democracy Reporting Service (reinstated service times based on analysis of published new timetables), as of 9th December.

Note: All services remain subject to change or cancellation by the operator and passengers should check before they travel. Neither Lancashire County Council nor the Local Democracy Reporting Service can be held responsible for any changes to, or errors in, the above.