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 185 (until 2017) Class 221
Technical
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge

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 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.

At Poulton junction, the freight-only Burn Naze branch diverges. This serves 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.

As of December 2014 Virgin Trains run one train per weekday between Blackpool North and London Euston using 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.

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. Until 1964 it ran further north into Blackpool to serve Blackpool Central station.