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Burnley Central
General information
Location	Burnley, Burnley England
Grid reference	SD839330
Managed by	Northern Trains
Platforms	1
Other information
Station code	BNC
Classification	DfT category E
Key dates
1 December 1848	Station opened
November 1871	Renamed Burnley Bank Top
2 October 1944	Renamed Burnley Central
1964	Station rebuilt
Passengers
2019/20	0.102 million
2020/21	28,804
2021/22	99,658
2022/23	0.100 million
2023/24	94,256
Notes Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Burnley Central railway station is a stop on the East Lancashire Line, which serves the town of Burnley, in Lancashire, England. It is managed by Northern Trains, which also provides its passenger service.

History

The station was opened by the East Lancashire Railway in 1848, as part of its route from Bury and Blackburn to Colne; here, an end-on junction was made with the Leeds and Bradford Extension Railway line from Skipton that had been completed several months earlier. The service from Colne through the station to Manchester Victoria, via Accrington and Bury, was well used from the outset by the owners of the local cotton mills, who travelled from their homes in the area to make their purchases of raw cotton at the Royal Exchange several times each week. It was also possible to travel from the station by direct train to Blackpool, Liverpool and Skipton and even through to London Euston, via Blackburn, Manchester Victoria and Stockport.

However, the cutbacks of the 1960s affected the station badly, with through trains to Manchester via Bury ending in 1964 (two years before the withdrawal of the Accrington to Bury service) and those to Liverpool in 1969 whilst the line to Skipton was closed to all traffic in 1970. This left the station on a 6+1⁄2 miles (10.5 km)-long dead-end branch line from Rose Grove to Colne, although the line remained double as far as Nelson until December 1986. The eastbound line and platform, used by trains towards Colne, was taken out of use thereafter and the station signal box closed; the track was subsequently lifted and the box and platform demolished a few years later. Only part of the remaining (former westbound) platform is now used by passenger trains; the rest is fenced off and overgrown. Immediately to the west, the line passes above the centre of the town on Bank Top viaduct as it heads towards Gannow Junction.

Despite the cutbacks, the station was rebuilt in 1965. Its ground floor is at street level and the first floor at platform level. It provides a booking hall, toilets, waiting rooms, stationmaster's office, parcels office and left luggage office.

Facilities

Following the singling of the track in December 1986, Burnley Central has only one platform in use. There is a small ticket office, waiting area and public address facility. There are information boards at the entrance of the station and in the booking hall, along with passenger information screens on the platform. The booking office is staffed on weekday mornings and early afternoons only; at other times, tickets can be purchased from a ticket vending machine on the concourse.

It is fully accessible to disabled travellers, with a ramp from the entrance to the waiting room/ticket office and platform.

Service

On weekdays and Saturdays, Northern Trains operates an hourly service in each direction between Colne (eastbound) and Preston (westbound). On Sundays, there is a two-hourly service in each direction, with most westbound services continuing on to Blackpool South.

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Burnley Barracks		Northern East Lancashire line		Brierfield
	Historical railways
Burnley Barracks Line and station open		Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway East Lancashire Railway		New Hall Bridge Halt Line open, station closed

References

Citations

1. Butt, R.V.J., (1995) The Directory of Railway Stations, Yeovil: Patrick Stephens
2. Marshall; p.40
3. Frater, p.31
4. Suggitt, p.75
5. "New station for Burnley". Modern Railways: 347. June 1965.
6. Burnley Central station facilities National Rail Enquiries; Retrieved 25 November 2016
7. "Timetables and engineering information for travel with Northern". Northern Railway. 2 June 2024. Retrieved 17 August 2024.

Sources

• Frater, A. (1983) Stopping Train Britain - A Railway Odyssey, Hodder & Staughton Ltd, London. ISBN 0-340-32451-1
• Marshall, J. (1981) Forgotten Railways North-West England, David & Charles (Publishers) Ltd, Newton Abbott. ISBN 0-7153-8003-6
• Suggitt, G. (2004 reprint), Lost Railways of Lancashire, Countryside Books, Newbury, ISBN 1-85306-801-2

External links

• Train times and station information for Burnley Central railway station from National Rail

v t e Railway stations in Lancashire
West Coast Main Line	Euxton Balshaw Lane Leyland Preston Lancaster
Kirkby branch line	Upholland
Manchester–Southport line	Appley Bridge Parbold Hoscar Burscough Bridge New Lane Bescar Lane
Merseyrail Northern line	Town Green Aughton Park Ormskirk
Ormskirk branch line	Ormskirk Burscough Junction Rufford Croston Preston
Blackpool branch lines	Preston Salwick Kirkham and Wesham Poulton-le-Fylde Layton Blackpool North Moss Side Lytham Ansdell and Fairhaven St Annes-on-the-Sea Squires Gate Blackpool Pleasure Beach Blackpool South
Manchester–Preston line	Adlington Chorley Buckshaw Parkway Leyland Preston
Ribble Valley line	Entwistle Darwen Blackburn Ramsgreave and Wilpshire Langho Whalley Clitheroe
East Lancashire line	Preston Lostock Hall Bamber Bridge Pleasington Cherry Tree Mill Hill Blackburn Rishton Church & Oswaldtwistle Accrington Huncoat Hapton Rose Grove Burnley Barracks Burnley Central Brierfield Nelson Colne
Calder Valley line	Burnley Manchester Road Accrington Blackburn Preston Poulton-le-Fylde Blackpool North
Leeds–Morecambe line	Wennington Carnforth Lancaster Bare Lane Morecambe Heysham Port
Furness line	Lancaster Carnforth Silverdale
Heritage railways	Irwell Vale Rawtenstall Preston Riverside
Disused stations

v t e Culture and infrastructure of the Borough of Burnley
Transport	Burnley Bus Company Burnley bus station East Lancashire line The Witch Way Transdev Northern Blue Railway stations Burnley Barracks Burnley Central Burnley Manchester Road Hapton Rose Grove Disused stations Padiham Holme New Hall Bridge Towneley Thorneybank Roads A56 A671 A678 M65
Education	Blessed Trinity Roman Catholic College Burnley College Burnley High School Sir John Thursby Community College Shuttleworth College Thomas Whitham Sixth Form UCFB Unity College
Sport	Burnley Cricket Club Burnley F.C. Burnley Rugby Club Lowerhouse Cricket Club Padiham F.C.
History	Angels Bank Hall Colliery Burnley Barracks Burnley Building Society Burnley Coalfield Burnley Corporation Tramways Burnley Grammar School Burnley power station Burnley Rural District Butterworth & Dickinson Grenfell Cloth Hameldon Community College Hapton Valley Colliery Honour of Clitheroe Padiham Power Station Padiham witch Towneley Colliery UTC Lancashire
Media	2BR Burnley Express Lancashire Telegraph
Politics	District elections Burnley Town Hall Burnley constituency

53°47′38″N 2°14′42″W / 53.794°N 2.245°W / 53.794; -2.245

• Railway stations in Burnley
• DfT Category E stations
• Former Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway stations
• Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1848
• Railway stations served by Northern
• 1848 establishments in England