Accessibility improvements at Burnley Manchester Road railway station on track

Burnley Manchester Road railway station is Burnley's principal rail hub and provides direct regional train services to Manchester Victoria, Bradford, Leeds, Blackpool North and Preston.

The £3.4m project, funded through the Government's "Levelling Up" programme, will improve access by delivering a new footbridge and lifts giving closer links from the Preston bound platform to the core station facilities.

In recent years the station has been upgraded with European Union Interreg programme, Central Government Growth Deal, Lancashire County Council and Burnley Borough Council funding.

The role and function of the station has been transformed from a simple halt to a state-of-the-art facility that now acts as a key gateway for passengers travelling between Burnley to a range of destinations across Lancashire, Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and beyond.

Proposals to further improve access to the Preston bound platform were part of Burnley Borough Council's successful "Levelling Up" round 1 bid to central Government.

Lancashire County Council has supported the bid as a strategic partner and has contributed to the development of the railway station and public realm packages which have been successful. It is proposed that the county council, as the Local Transport Authority, leads the management of the project on behalf of Burnley Borough Council.

The project will:

• Complete the transformation of Burnley Manchester Road railway station
• Deliver a new footbridge and lifts which will remove a 300 metre plus circuitous pedestrian route benefitting passengers with mobility issues
• Complete the link with the station's ticket office and car park to the westbound platform, completing the original station improvement plan
• Deliver a contemporary station fit for the modern passenger

On Thursday, 7 April, Lancashire County Council's cabinet will be asked to approve that the management of the project be led by the county council subject to an agreement being reached with Burnley Borough Council in respect to financial and governance issues.

Stephen Young, Lancashire County Council's Executive Director of Growth, Environment, Transport and Community Services, said: "These much-needed improvements will complete the transformation of Burnley Manchester Road railway station, bringing this part of the station up to the standards needed for modern-day passengers.

"There is wide-ranging support for the scheme from stakeholders including Network Rail, Northern Trains and Community Rail Lancashire. A consultation has also been undertaken with passengers who have voiced their support for the proposals.

"Following approval from cabinet, we are confident we can complete agreements with Burnley Borough Council and Network Rail to progress this important scheme without delay."