Hopes rise for railway boost

Blackburn with Darwen Council and Lancashire County Council have joined forces to ask the Rail Passenger Partnership for cash to more than double the number of services between Clitheroe and Manchester and Colne and Preston.

And they have been told their bid has impressed the government and rail chiefs and will be allowed to go on to the next stage of the bidding process, in competition with other areas of the country.

If the bid is successful, the present hourly service between Manchester and Clitheroe, through Darwen and Blackburn, would be made half hourly and Sunday services would run all year round rather than the present skeleton service on summer Sundays only.

Services on the line have been among the worst in the country for cancellations and delays and passengers have formed a campaign group of their own to pressure train operator First North Western into improvements.

Other improvements would see additional services between Preston and Burnley, a new interchange in Burnley, possibly in the Gannow Junction area, and better links from East Lancashire to Manchester Airport - which could see Burnley, Nelson, Colne and Accrington having their own rail link with the city for the first time in many years.

Lancashire County Council and Blackburn with Darwen Council are joined by the East Lancashire Partnership in putting the rail bid together.

The partnership is made up of councils across the area as well as business, education and health organisations.

The bidders have been told by the shadow strategic rail authority, set up by Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott to oversee improvements on the railways, that Lancashire's bid has been looked on favourably.

Transport chiefs are now likely to put together a full and more detailed bid, at which point the cost of work will become clearer.

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