Blackpool North railway station

Infobox UK station
name = Blackpool North


caption = Blackpool North Railway Station - not in the holiday season with the Tower in the background
manager = Northern Rail
locale = Blackpool
borough = Blackpool
platforms = 8
usage0405 = 1.664
usage0506 = 1.610
usage0607 = 1.673
latitude = 53.8218
longitude = -3.0493
gridref =
years = 29 April 1846
events = Opened as "Talbot Road"Hartley, S. and Mitchell, L. (2005) PDFlink| [http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/environment/archaeologyandheritage/historictowns/BlackpoolComplete_lowres.pdf Lancashire Historic Town Survey—Blackpool"] |25.5 MiB , 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", [http://www.countrysidebooks.co.uk Countryside Books, Newbury] , ISBN 1 85306 801 2, p.36]
years1 = 1898
events1 = Rebuilt
years2 = Unknown date
events2 = Renamed "Blackpool North"
years3 = 1974
events3 = Rebuilt on site of former excursion platforms

Blackpool North railway station is the terminus of the main Blackpool branch line from Preston, in Lancashire, England. Services from York (via Burnley), Buxton, Liverpool and Manchester terminate here.

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. [cite web
url=http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/blackpoolnews/Service-will-not-be-back.522770.jp
publisher=Blackpool Gazette
title=Service will not be back on track
accessdate=2008-04-16] Former local franchise holder First North Western ran services from Blackpool to London Euston, but these were soon discontinued.

The resort's other terminus station, Blackpool South, is situated at the end of the South Fylde branch line, 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 [cite web
url=http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/blackpoolnews/Blackpool-station-set-for-600000.3442923.jp
accessdate=2008-04-16
publisher=Blackpool Gazette
title=Blackpool station set for £600,000 first] as well as the conductors on the train. The station is some distance from the Blackpool tramway.

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. [Taylor, S. (2005) "Kirkham to Blackpool (North) and Fleetwood for the Isle of Man", Foxline, Bredbury, ISBN 1 801197 74 6, pp.51–52, 56, 59, 75–76] In 1974 the main station was demolished, replaced by the current station based on the former excursion platforms.

ervices

The station is served by both Northern Rail and TransPennine Express.

*Northern Rail operates as follows:

**1tph to York, calling at::::Poulton-le-Fylde, Preston, Blackburn, Accrington, Burnley Manchester Road, Hebden Bridge, Halifax, Bradford Interchange, New Pudsey, Leeds, Cross Gates, Garforth, East Garforth, Micklefield, Church Fenton (1tp2h) and York

**1tph to Liverpool Lime Street, calling at::::Preston, Leyland, Euxton Balshaw Lane, Wigan North Western, St Helens Central, Huyton and Liverpool Lime Street

::::On Sunday, trains additionally call at: Poulton-le-Fylde, Garswood, Thatto Heath, Prescot, Roby, Broad Green and Wavertree Tech. Park

**1tph to Buxton, calling at::::Layton, Poulton-le-Fylde, Kirkham and Wesham, Preston, Chorley, Adlington, Blackrod, Horwich Parkway, Lostock, Bolton, Salford Crescent, Deansgate, Manchester Oxford Road, Manchester Piccadilly, Stockport, Davenport, Woodsmoor, Hazel Grove, Middlewood, Disley, New Mills Newton, Furness Vale, Whaley Bridge, Chapel-en-le-Frith, Dove Holes and Buxton. (service will go to Manchester Victoria from December 2008.)

*First TransPennine Express operate as follows:

**1tph to Manchester Airport, calling at::::Poulton-le-Fylde, Preston, Leyland, Chorley, Horwich Parkway, Lostock, Bolton, Salford Crescent, Manchester Oxford Road, Manchester Piccadilly, Heald Green and Manchester Airport

References

External links

* [http://www.bafrua.connectfree.co.uk/northstn.html Blackpool & Fylde Rail Users’ Association—Blackpool North] , accessed 17 October 2007

rail line
next=Preston
previous=
route=Northern Rail
Blackpool-Liverpool Line
col=8b00ffrail line
next=Layton
previous=
route=Northern Rail
Blackpool Branch Line
col=8b00ffrail line
previous=
next=Poulton-le-Fylde
route=Northern Rail
Caldervale Line
col=8b00ffrail line
next=Layton
previous=
route=First Transpennine Express
TransPennine North West
col=010385rail line
next=Bispham
previous=
route=Preston and Wyre Joint Railway
Blackpool Branch Line
col=964B00
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