Burnley Barracks railway station

Burnley Barracks
National Rail
General information
LocationBurnley, Burnley
England
Coordinates53°47′28″N 2°15′29″W / 53.791°N 2.258°W / 53.791; -2.258
Grid referenceSD831327
Managed byNorthern
Platforms1
Other information
Station codeBUB
ClassificationDfT category F2
Key dates
18 September 1848Opened as Burnley Westgate, a temporary terminus for line from Accrington
1 February 1849Closed following opening of extension to Colne
1851Reopened as Burnley Barracks[1]
Passengers
2018/19Decrease 18,028
2019/20Increase 26,008
2020/21Decrease 9,316
2021/22Increase 26,928
2022/23Decrease 25,904
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Burnley Barracks railway station is in the town of Burnley, England, on the East Lancashire Line 12-mile (800 m) west of Burnley Central railway station. Following the singling of the track in December 1986, Burnley Barracks has one platform in use, with only a basic shelter in place, and no other buildings on the platform.

It is unstaffed, and one of four request stops on the line (see below), it does though have passenger information screens and timetable boards available, along with a long line PA system to provide train running information.

Services

[edit]

On weekdays, there is an hourly service from Burnley Barracks to Colne (eastbound) Preston (westbound). On Sundays, there is a two-hourly service in each direction.[2] Sunday trains continue beyond Preston to Blackpool South.

From 14 May 2012, Barracks became a request stop, in addition to Hapton, Huncoat and Pleasington.[3]

History

[edit]
The station in 1962

The station opened on 18 September 1848, as a temporary terminus for the East Lancashire Railway whilst an extension was built between Accrington and Colne. It closed four months later when the Colne extension opened.[4] However, the surrounding area developed quickly with industry, housing and the local barracks, which led to the station being reopened under its current name in 1851.

Extensive demolition of the nearby high density Victorian terraced residential areas of Trinity, Westgate and Whittlefield during the 1960s and 70s, together with the construction of the M65 motorway and feeder roads during the early 1980s led to a significant decline in population in the area and thus the station's prominence waned. The barracks themselves (latterly home to the East Lancashire Regiment) have been closed since December 1898 and the site subsequently sold off.[5]

New housing developments north of the M65 (and linked to the station by a footbridge) have recently seen significantly higher usage. Previous fluctuations in usage figures are due to the re-allocation of ticket sales to the various "Burnley Stations Group." (see right)

It was one of the stations featured in the Channel 4 documentary series Paul Merton's Secret Stations in the spring of 2016.

Possible Closure

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Should the Skipton-Colne rail link reopen and the existing East Lancashire Line modernised then Burnley Barracks would close to passengers.[6]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Butt, R.V.J., (1995) The Directory of Railway Stations, Yeovil: Patrick Stephens
  2. ^ Table 105 National Rail timetable, December 2022
  3. ^ East Lancs stations to become 'request only' from today Lancashire Evening Telegraph
  4. ^ "Britain's forgotten railway stations". Telegraph.co.uk. 25 March 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  5. ^ CRL - Burnley BarracksCommunity Rail Lancashire; Retrieved 21 November 2016
  6. ^ [1] Archived 21 February 2019 at the Wayback Machine p.27
[edit]
Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Rose Grove   Northern
East Lancashire Line
  Burnley Central
  Historical railways  
Rose Grove
Line and station open
  Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
East Lancashire Railway
  Burnley Central
Line and station open