More rail services to be introduced for East Lancashire

From 10 December, as part of the train operator’s modernisation plan, timetable enhancements will see services increase from every hour to every 30 minutes on weekdays between Blackburn and Manchester Victoria.

And services between Colne and Preston will run every hour on Sundays – up from every two hours.

Liam Sumpter, Regional Director at Northern, said: “The timetable enhancements announced mark an important step forward for our customers. They are part of a wide-ranging modernisation programme that will see us add more than 2,000 extra services each week by 2020.

“The improved services will offer new commuting possibilities for those in East Lancashire, and will also boost travel options for leisure travellers.”

The service enhancements will go hand-in-hand with further modernisation across the Northern network, including new and fully refurbished trains, better stations and more ways to buy tickets. Northern’s oldest trains (Pacers) will also be removed from the network – with the entire programme delivered by 2020

Liam added: “In the coming months and years our customers will see further improvements as we work to modernise our stations and facilities.

“We will also continue to improve our current fleet of trains and, from next year, will begin the introduction of 286 new, purpose built carriages. These trains will provide more space and enable us to add more than 2,000 services every week, building on the 2,500 we already operate each day.

“This is just the beginning of modernisation for our customers and there are many more exciting improvements to come on our journey to 2020.”