Manchester to Preston Line
| Manchester–Preston line | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| System | National Rail |
| Status | Operational |
| Locale |
Lancashire North West England |
| Operation | |
| Owner | Network Rail |
| Operator(s) |
Northern TransPennine Express |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
The Manchester–Preston line runs from the city of Manchester to Preston, Lancashire. It is largely used by commuters entering Manchester from surrounding suburbs and cities, but is also one of the main railway lines in the North West and is utilised by TransPennine Express regional services and to Scotland. Electrification currently ends just north of Deansgate. It was announced in December 2009 that the line would be electrified, following an announcement in July 2009 that the Chat Moss route between Manchester and Liverpool was to be electrified first. The electrification work for this line commenced in May 2015 and is due for completion in December 2017.
The line is one of the busiest in the North West, with seven trains per hour in each direction during the off-peak daytime timetable. The line speed is currently 75 mph, and will be increased to 100 mph when the electrification project is complete.
The line was opened as far as Bolton in 1838 by the Manchester and Bolton Railway, then extended in 1841 by the Bolton and Preston Railway. These were amalgamated, via the East Lancashire Railway, as part of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway.
The route now has 2 starting points in Manchester:
The route then continues to Clifton, it passes through Kearsley, Farnworth and Moses Gate following the Irwell Valley for much of the route. The first major town is Bolton. Just after Bolton station there is a junction to the right where the Ribble Valley line, a single line, heads off to Blackburn and Clitheroe. The line cuts through the western suburbs of Bolton including , where trains to Wigan Wallgate via Westhoughton, branch off. Next is Horwich Parkway opened in 1999 and Blackrod (where the former Horwich Branch diverged). It then proceeds through the town of Adlington and on to Chorley, passing through Buckshaw Parkway, which opened in 2011 and finally joining the West Coast Main Line at Euxton Junction before continuing via Leyland to Preston.
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Wikipedia