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The
Ribble Valley Line is a railway line that runs from Manchester Victoria through
BlackburnBlackburn is a large town in Lancashire, England. It lies to the north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the Ribble Valley, east of the city of Preston, and north-northwest of the city of Manchester. Blackburn is bounded to the south by Darwen, with which it forms the unitary...
to the small market town of
ClitheroeClitheroe is a town and civil parish in the borough of Ribble Valley, Lancashire, England. It lies on the southern edge of the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for tourists in the area. The most notable building in the town is a Norman keep, suggested to be one of the smallest in the...
in
LancashireLancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Lancashire County Council is based in Preston. However, Lancaster is still considered to be the county town...
. Passenger services normally only run as far as Clitheroe, but the line continues through north Lancashire towards the
YorkshireYorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the British Isles. Because of its great size, functions were increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have been subject to periodic reform. Throughout these changes, Yorkshire has continued to be recognised as...
town of
HellifieldHellifield is a village and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England . The village once was an important railway junction on the Settle-Carlisle Railway between the Midland Railway and the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, but Hellifield railway station is now a shadow of...
, where it joins the
Settle – CarlisleThe Settle–Carlisle Line is a long main railway line in northern England. It is also known as the Settle and Carlisle. It is a part of the National Rail network and was constructed in the 1870s...
line. The line passes over the distinctive 48 span Whalley Viaduct.
The line between Blackburn and Clitheroe was closed to passengers in 1962 but continued to be used for diversions and for freight.
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The
Ribble Valley Line is a railway line that runs from Manchester Victoria through
BlackburnBlackburn is a large town in Lancashire, England. It lies to the north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the Ribble Valley, east of the city of Preston, and north-northwest of the city of Manchester. Blackburn is bounded to the south by Darwen, with which it forms the unitary...
to the small market town of
ClitheroeClitheroe is a town and civil parish in the borough of Ribble Valley, Lancashire, England. It lies on the southern edge of the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for tourists in the area. The most notable building in the town is a Norman keep, suggested to be one of the smallest in the...
in
LancashireLancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Lancashire County Council is based in Preston. However, Lancaster is still considered to be the county town...
. Passenger services normally only run as far as Clitheroe, but the line continues through north Lancashire towards the
YorkshireYorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the British Isles. Because of its great size, functions were increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have been subject to periodic reform. Throughout these changes, Yorkshire has continued to be recognised as...
town of
HellifieldHellifield is a village and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England . The village once was an important railway junction on the Settle-Carlisle Railway between the Midland Railway and the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, but Hellifield railway station is now a shadow of...
, where it joins the
Settle – CarlisleThe Settle–Carlisle Line is a long main railway line in northern England. It is also known as the Settle and Carlisle. It is a part of the National Rail network and was constructed in the 1870s...
line. The line passes over the distinctive 48 span Whalley Viaduct.
The line between Blackburn and Clitheroe was closed to passengers in 1962 but continued to be used for diversions and for freight. After a public campaign, the line was re-opened to passengers in 1994.
The towns and villages on the route are:
- Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. In 2007, the population of the city was estimated to be 458,100...
- Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Situated close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
- Bromley Cross
Bromley Cross is a suburb of the unparished area of South Turton in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. Historically a part of Lancashire, it lies on the southern edge of the West Pennine Moors....
- Entwistle
Entwistle is a village in the Blackburn with Darwen unitary authority area, in the north west of England.Entwistle is home to a scenic reservoir, aptly named "Entwistle Reservoir!" The reservoir is a popular spot for walkers, dog-walkers and joggers. There are a few picnic benches situated at the...
- Darwen
Darwen is a market town in Lancashire, England, extending onto the West Pennine Moors. Along with its northerly neighbour, Blackburn, it forms the Borough of Blackburn with Darwen - a unitary authority area...
- Ramsgreave
Ramsgreave is a civil parish in the Ribble Valley district , in Lancashire, England. The parish is located on the northern edge of Blackburn although it is just outside the Blackburn with Darwen unitary district, and although the south and east of the parish is suburban, the parish also includes a...
and WilpshireWilpshire is a village and civil parish in the county of Lancashire, England. It is north of Blackburn, and forms part of the town's urban area, although it is in the Ribble Valley local government district....
- Langho
Langho is a small village five miles north of Blackburn in the Ribble Valley, Lancashire, England. It is linked with Blackburn and Clitheroe by the A666 road and is served by Langho railway station on the Ribble Valley Line. To the north-west is the original village of Old Langho.To the north is...
- Whalley
Whalley is a large village in the Ribble Valley on the banks of the River Calder in Lancashire, England. It is overlooked by Whalley Nab, a large picturesque wooded hill over the river from the village....
- Clitheroe
Clitheroe is a town and civil parish in the borough of Ribble Valley, Lancashire, England. It lies on the southern edge of the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for tourists in the area. The most notable building in the town is a Norman keep, suggested to be one of the smallest in the...
Passenger services from
ClitheroeClitheroe is a town and civil parish in the borough of Ribble Valley, Lancashire, England. It lies on the southern edge of the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for tourists in the area. The most notable building in the town is a Norman keep, suggested to be one of the smallest in the...
to
ManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. In 2007, the population of the city was estimated to be 458,100...
via
BlackburnBlackburn is a large town in Lancashire, England. It lies to the north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the Ribble Valley, east of the city of Preston, and north-northwest of the city of Manchester. Blackburn is bounded to the south by Darwen, with which it forms the unitary...
are operated by
Northern RailNorthern Rail is a train operating company that has operated local passenger services in the north of England since 2004. Northern Rail's owner, Serco-NedRailways, is a consortium formed of NedRailways and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems...
. On summer Sundays Northern Rail also operates the DalesRail service, which starts at
BlackpoolBlackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. Situated along the coast of the Irish Sea, it has a population of 142,900, making it the fourth-largest settlement in North West England behind Manchester, Liverpool and Warrington...
and continues beyond Clitheroe to the Settle - Carlisle line, where it calls at all the stations en route to
CarlisleCarlisle railway station, also known as Carlisle Citadel station, serves the Cumbrian City of Carlisle, and is a major station on the West Coast Main Line, lying 102 miles south of Glasgow Central, and 299 miles north of London Euston...
.
The service from Manchester to Clitheroe was designated by the
Department for TransportIn the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
as a
community railIn the United Kingdom, a community rail line is a local railway which is specially supported by local organisations. This support is usually through Community Rail Partnerships – comprising both the railway operator and local councils – or sometimes by Rail User Groups...
service in March 2007. It was announced in March 2007 that major improvements to the line were being proposed by
Blackburn with DarwenBlackburn with Darwen is a unitary authority area in Lancashire, North West England. It consists of Blackburn, the small town of Darwen to the south of it, and the surrounding countryside.-Formation:...
Council, who unveiled an £8 million bid to the
Department for TransportIn the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
and
Network RailNetwork Rail owns and operates Britain’s rail infrastructure. It is a British "not for dividend" company limited by guarantee whose principal asset is Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, a company limited by shares....
. Improvements may include installing double tracks where presently the route is single line, improved signalling giving increased track capacity, enhanced line speed, longer trains at peak times and ultimately putting on more frequent trains to and from Manchester throughout the day. However, the funding for the scheme was eventually rejected in March 2008.
The line between
BlackburnBlackburn is a large town in Lancashire, England. It lies to the north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the Ribble Valley, east of the city of Preston, and north-northwest of the city of Manchester. Blackburn is bounded to the south by Darwen, with which it forms the unitary...
and
ClitheroeClitheroe is a town and civil parish in the borough of Ribble Valley, Lancashire, England. It lies on the southern edge of the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for tourists in the area. The most notable building in the town is a Norman keep, suggested to be one of the smallest in the...
was temporarily closed in November 2008 due to a major refurbishment. The £5 million scheme included 11,651 yards of continuous welded rail, 16,000 new concrete or steel
sleeperA railroad tie, cross tie, or railway sleeper is a rectangular object used as a base for railroad tracks. Sleepers are members generally laid transverse to the rails, on which the rails are supported and fixed, to transfer the loads from rails to the ballast and subgrade, and to hold the rails to...
s and 40,000 tonnes of
ballastTrack ballast forms the trackbed upon which railway sleepers or railroad ties are laid. It is packed between, below, and around the ties. It is used to facilitate drainage of water, to distribute the load from the railroad ties, and also to keep down vegetation that might interfere with the track...
. Replacement bus services ran between
ClitheroeClitheroe is a town and civil parish in the borough of Ribble Valley, Lancashire, England. It lies on the southern edge of the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for tourists in the area. The most notable building in the town is a Norman keep, suggested to be one of the smallest in the...
and
BlackburnBlackburn is a large town in Lancashire, England. It lies to the north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the Ribble Valley, east of the city of Preston, and north-northwest of the city of Manchester. Blackburn is bounded to the south by Darwen, with which it forms the unitary...
. The line re-opened on the 28 November 2008.
The
Clitheroe Advertiser and TimesThe Clitheroe Advertiser and Times is a weekly newspaper published every Thursday for readers in the area of Clitheroe in the Ribble Valley, east Lancashire....
, the Ribble Valley's local newspaper, recently published an article explaining a very bright future for the Ribble Valley Line. The Government and Prime Minister
Gordon BrownJames Gordon Brown is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party. Brown became Prime Minister in June 2007, after the resignation of Tony Blair and three days after becoming leader of the governing Labour Party...
, have backed the scheme, called 'Pennine Lancashire', which will see new housing, tourist attractions and improved transport links. The Government have included in this scheme:
- new signaling
- doubling single track lines
- increased line-speeds
- new rolling-stock
- extending platform lengths
The scheme has been welcomed also by the
Ribble Valley RailRibble Valley Rail is the name the the group of volunteers that care for the Hellifield, Clitheroe and Blackburn section of the Ribble Valley Line. They were formed in 1986, hoping they would have services running all the way to Hellifield, but they only got services running to Clitheroe to this day...
group, who have campaigned to re-open the line, are very excited at the proposals.
External links