Burnley station set for overhaul

PLANS have been submitted to redevelop one of Burnley’s main train stations.

The Manchester Road station is to be redeveloped as part of the plans to reopen the Todmorden Curve stretch of track, which will provide direct train links between Burnley and Manchester. The project was part of a package which received £8.8m worth of Regional Growth Fund cash from the government at the end of last year.

The redevelopment plans include a redevelopment of the old railway station building, an installation of new canopies, new manned ticket facilities and shelters covering both platforms 1 and 2.

New parking, cycle spaces and improved station entrance areas will also be added.

Enabling works have already started at the station, which was built in 1886 but subsequently closed in 1961 and only partially re-opened in 1986.

Approval for the new plans is expected within two months.

Cllr Roger Frost, executive member for regeneration & economic development, said: “Rail travel grew by 4.8% in 2011, with more and more people choosing to travel by train. To accommodate this growth it is important Burnley creates welcoming stations able to accommodate an increase in passenger numbers.

“For some passengers it can be the first impression they get of a town, and with the transformations underway in Burnley, with new schools, college and universities, it is important that visitors arriving, or passing through, see the ‘new’ modern, changing Burnley.”

Tim Ashton, Lancashire County Council’s cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “We’re at the start of what will be a new and more prosperous time for Burnley as a result of being able to travel to Manchester in under an hour thanks to the restored Todmorden Curve.

“The redeveloped Manchester Road railway station is an important part of this and it’s exciting that the process is now underway.”