Burnley Barracks railway station

1⁄2-mile (800 m) west of Burnley Central railway station. Following the singling of the track in December 1986, Burnley Barracks has one platform in use, with only a basic shelter in place, and no other buildings on the platform.

It is unstaffed, and one of four request stops on the line (see below), it does though have passenger information screens and timetable boards available, along with a long line PA system to provide train running information.

Services

On weekdays, there is an hourly service from Burnley Barracks to Colne (eastbound) Preston (westbound). On Sundays, there is a two-hourly service in each direction. ^[2] Sunday trains continue beyond Preston to Blackpool South.

From 14 May 2012, Barracks became a request stop, in addition to Hapton, Huncoat and Pleasington. ^[3]

History

The station in 1962

The station opened on 18 September 1848, as a temporary terminus for the East Lancashire Railway whilst an extension was built between Accrington and Colne. It closed four months later when the Colne extension opened. ^[4] However, the surrounding area developed quickly with industry, housing and the local barracks, which led to the station being reopened under its current name in 1851.

Extensive demolition of the nearby high density Victorian terraced residential areas of Trinity, Westgate and Whittlefield during the 1960s and 70s, together with the construction of the M65 motorway and feeder roads during the early 1980s led to a significant decline in population in the area and thus the station's prominence waned. The barracks themselves (latterly home to the East Lancashire Regiment) have been closed since December 1898 and the site subsequently sold off. ^[5]

New housing developments north of the M65 (and linked to the station by a footbridge) have recently seen significantly higher usage. Previous fluctuations in usage figures are due to the re-allocation of ticket sales to the various "Burnley Stations Group." (see right)

It was one of the stations featured in the Channel 4 documentary series Paul Merton's Secret Stations in the spring of 2016.

Possible Closure

Should the Skipton-Colne rail link reopen and the existing East Lancashire Line modernised then Burnley Barracks would close to passengers. ^[6]

References

1. Butt, R.V.J., (1995) The Directory of Railway Stations, Yeovil: Patrick Stephens
2. Table 105 National Rail timetable, December 2022
3. East Lancs stations to become 'request only' from today Lancashire Evening Telegraph
4. "Britain's forgotten railway stations". Telegraph.co.uk. 25 March 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
5. CRL - Burnley Barracks Community Rail Lancashire; Retrieved 21 November 2016
6. Archived 21 February 2019 at the Wayback Machine p.27

External links

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

Burnley Barracks
General information
Location	Burnley, Burnley England
Coordinates	53°47′28″N2°15′29″W / 53.791°N 2.258°W / 53.791; -2.258
Grid reference	SD831327
Managed by	Northern
Platforms	1
Other information
Station code	BUB
Classification	DfT category F2
Key dates
18 September 1848	Opened as Burnley Westgate, a temporary terminus for line from Accrington
1 February 1849	Closed following opening of extension to Colne
1851	Reopened as Burnley Barracks [1]
Passengers
2018/19	18,028

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Rose Grove		Northern East Lancashire Line		Burnley Central
	Historical railways
Rose Grove Line and station open		Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway East Lancashire Railway		Burnley Central Line and station open