Blackrod railway station
Encyclopedia
Blackrod railway station serves the village of Blackrod
, 6.5 miles (10 km ) north west of Bolton railway station
, 1.5 miles (2 km) from the town centre of Horwich
- closer indeed than station.
It lies on the Manchester-Preston Line and is served primarily by local services run by Northern Rail
. TransPennine Express
services also serve the station at peak times. The station is currently unstaffed.
. It was renamed Horwich and Blackrod, then Horwich Junction, then Horwich and Blackrod junction, finally Blackrod in 1888
Blackrod was once the junction for a short branch to serve the original Horwich station
(closed to passengers in 1965) and Horwich Locomotive Works
(sold in 1988, after which the line was closed and lifted). Until the 1980s, Blackrod had a poor frequency of service, but for many years it has been a popular commuter station.
The station also has a signal box
, the only one on the entire Manchester to Preston route. This has outlasted the others as it acts as the 'fringe' to both the Manchester Piccadilly signalling centre and Preston PSB. The train description system used in the Preston installation is incompatible with that installed at Piccadilly so the signaller at Blackrod has to transfer train data manually from one system to the other as each one passes through his/her control area. A similar situation exists at on the Bolton to Blackburn
line, where the two control areas also overlap.
Services to Manchester Piccadilly and beyond ceased from the December 2008 timetable change, except for a small number of weekday peak period trains.
Blackrod
Blackrod is a settlement and civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, in Greater Manchester, England. It is north-northeast of Wigan and west of Bolton and, according to the United Kingdom Census 2001, has a population of 5,300....
, 6.5 miles (10 km ) north west of Bolton railway station
Bolton railway station
Bolton Interchange is a transport interchange combining the railway station and a four stand bus station in the town of Bolton in Greater Manchester, England. The station is located on the Manchester spur of the West Coast Main Line and is managed by Northern Rail...
, 1.5 miles (2 km) from the town centre of Horwich
Horwich
Horwich is a town and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, in Greater Manchester, England. It is southeast of Chorley, northwest of Bolton and northwest from the city of Manchester. It lies at the southern edge of the West Pennine Moors with the M61 motorway close to the...
- closer indeed than station.
It lies on the Manchester-Preston Line and is served primarily by local services run by Northern Rail
Northern Rail
Northern Rail is a British train operating company that has operated local passenger services in Northern England since 2004. Northern Rail's owner, Serco-Abellio, is a consortium formed of Abellio and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems...
. TransPennine Express
First TransPennine Express
First TransPennine Express is a British train operating company. It is a joint operation between First Group and Keolis . It operates regular passenger services in northern England, including services linking the west and east coasts across the Pennines...
services also serve the station at peak times. The station is currently unstaffed.
History
The station was opened on 4 February 1841 as Horwich Road by the Manchester and Bolton RailwayManchester and Bolton Railway
The Manchester and Bolton Railway was a railway in the historic county of Lancashire, England, connecting Salford to Bolton. It was built by the proprietors of the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal Navigation and Railway Company who had in 1831 converted from a canal company...
. It was renamed Horwich and Blackrod, then Horwich Junction, then Horwich and Blackrod junction, finally Blackrod in 1888
Blackrod was once the junction for a short branch to serve the original Horwich station
Horwich railway station
Horwich railway station was located in Lancashire, England on a branch from the Manchester to Preston Line. It was closed to passengers on 27 September 1965 and to goods on 25 April 1966....
(closed to passengers in 1965) and Horwich Locomotive Works
Horwich Works
Horwich Works was a railway works built in 1886 by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway in Horwich, near Bolton, in the North West of England when the company moved from its original works at Miles Platting, Manchester.-Buildings:...
(sold in 1988, after which the line was closed and lifted). Until the 1980s, Blackrod had a poor frequency of service, but for many years it has been a popular commuter station.
The station also has a signal box
Signal box
On a rail transport system, signalling control is the process by which control is exercised over train movements by way of railway signals and block systems to ensure that trains operate safely, over the correct route and to the proper timetable...
, the only one on the entire Manchester to Preston route. This has outlasted the others as it acts as the 'fringe' to both the Manchester Piccadilly signalling centre and Preston PSB. The train description system used in the Preston installation is incompatible with that installed at Piccadilly so the signaller at Blackrod has to transfer train data manually from one system to the other as each one passes through his/her control area. A similar situation exists at on the Bolton to Blackburn
Ribble Valley Line
The Ribble Valley Line is a railway line that runs from Manchester Victoria through Blackburn to the small market town of Clitheroe in Lancashire. Regular passenger services normally only run as far as Clitheroe, but occasional passenger services run along the line through north Lancashire towards...
line, where the two control areas also overlap.
Services
There is currently an hourly daytime service (including Sundays) to Manchester Victoria southbound and to and northbound, with some Monday to Friday peak extras.Services to Manchester Piccadilly and beyond ceased from the December 2008 timetable change, except for a small number of weekday peak period trains.