EXTRA rail services between Clitheroe, east Lancashire and Manchester, and possible new links with the celebrated Settle-Carlisle line, could be explored, if a new study goes ahead.

Councillors in Ribble Valley are considering paying more than £6,000 to Northern Trains for research about possible improvements on various Lancashire lines to Manchester or different parts of Yorkshire.

Part of the study could consider creating new services between stations on the Settle-Carlisle line to Clitheroe, East Lancashire and Manchester Victoria.

A past study suggested such a move could create an extra 80,000 passenger journeys a year along such a route.

Trains on the Settle-Carlisle line currently run regularly to Skipton and Leeds. They include morning and evening commuter services.

Currently the only Clitheroe to Carlisle service occurs when the seasonal DalesRail service runs on Sundays.

Now Ribble Valley councillors are being told future transport aspirations for the borough include having two trains every hour from Clitheroe to Manchester, and extensions from Clitheroe to Hellifield and other North Yorkshire stations, a finance report states.

The frequency of services between Blackpool North, Preston, East Lancashire and York could be improved, along with Blackburn to Manchester trains, which have benefited from the Todmorden Curve.

Borough councillors are being recommended by officers to approve spending the £6,000 cash on a feasibility study by Northern Trains.

The train firm has been criticised in recent years for over-crowding and cancellations. But bosses say they are making improvements and investing.

A committee report states:  “Discussions have commenced with Lancashire County Council and Northern in respect of this  work. The cost of £6,450, will be funded from the UK Shared Prosperity allocation.”

The study would include looking at different routes, customer travel patterns, train speeds and places where new homes, offices or industry is being built.  Travel habits have changed in some ways since the pandemic. Other factors to consider include peak times and other times,  passenger needs for work, study or leisure, and summer and winter seasons. Northern Trains is doing similar work for Burnley and Blackburn, the report adds.

The Todmorden Curve created faster journeys and the return of direct trains to Manchester from Burnley and Hyndburn.

Councillors are being told an additional task for Northern Trains could be to review an outline business case from 2021 about Clitheroe to Hellifield train links, to see if improvements can be made.

A strategic outline business case was produced for Ribble Valley Council in 2021 by Stantec and Allan Rail to improve North Yorkshire and Lancashire rail links through the Craven and Ribble Valley districts.

Estimates then showed the potential for up to 80,000 extra passengers a year, if Clitheroe trains from Manchester Victoria were extended beyond Hellifield to the Settle-Carlisle line.

Options then looked at extending all Clitheroe-bound trains to Hellifield, extending alternative Clitheroe trains to all stations up to Garsdale, having two trains per hour to Clitheroe, with one every two hours to Garsdale, having two trains per hour to Clitheroe and one every two hours extending to Ribblehead and putting on two trains per hour to Clitheroe and one per hour extending to Settle Junction.