Darwen railway station
Darwen  | |
|---|---|
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Darwen railway station looking north in 2014 | |
| Location | |
| Place | Darwen |
| Local authority | Blackburn with Darwen |
| Coordinates | 53°41′53″N 2°27′54″W / 53.698°N 2.465°WCoordinates: 53°41′53″N 2°27′54″W / 53.698°N 2.465°W |
| Grid reference | SD694225 |
| Operations | |
| Station code | DWN |
| Managed by | Northern |
| Number of platforms | 2 |
| DfT category | F1 |
|
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries | |
| Annual rail passenger usage* | |
| 2010/11 |
 0.262 million |
| 2011/12 |
0.287 million |
| 2012/13 |
0.309 million |
| 2013/14 |
0.319 million |
| 2014/15 |
0.327 million |
| History | |
| Key dates | Opened 1847 |
| Original company | Bolton, Blackburn, Clitheroe and West Yorkshire Railway |
| Pre-grouping | Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway |
| Post-grouping | London, Midland and Scottish Railway |
| 3 August 1847 | Opened as Over Darwen |
| 1 December 1883 | Renamed Darwen |
| National Rail – UK railway stations | |
| * Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Darwen from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year. | |
 UK Railways portal | |
Darwen railway station serves Darwen, a town in Lancashire, England. It was opened in 1847 by the Bolton, Blackburn, Clitheroe & West Yorkshire Railway, which was subsequently taken over by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway twelve years later. It is now served by Northern services on the Ribble Valley Line from Manchester Victoria/Bolton to Blackburn and into Clitheroe.
Darwen is set amongst the hills of East Lancashire. Arriving from or departing towards Bolton involves journeying through the long Sough Tunnel, some 2,015 yd (1,843 m) in length.
History
The railway line between Blackburn (Bolton Road) and Bolton was built by the Blackburn, Darwen and Bolton Railway, but it had amalgamated with the Blackburn, Clitheroe and North Western Junction Railway to form the Bolton, Blackburn, Clitheroe and West Yorkshire Railway by the time that the first section, from Blackburn to Sough, including the station at Over Darwen, 4 1⁄4 miles (6.8 km) from Blackburn, was opened on 3 August 1847. The station was renamed Darwen on 1 December 1883.[1][2]
The neighbouring stations either side which also served the area, at Lower Darwen and Spring Vale, were both closed in 1958 and the nearest surviving station to the south is now Entwistle.
Facilities
The station has two platforms. It is one of only two passing points on the otherwise single track Blackburn to Bolton part of the route, but trains normally cross here only in the morning and evening peak periods. The loop was extended in length by a mile (1.6km) either side of the station during a six week long engineering blockade in July & August 2015 to increase capacity on the line and eventually allow a half-hourly service to operate (as specified in the new Northern franchise agreement, due to come into effect in April 2016).[3]
The station is currently unstaffed, with waiting shelters on each platform; it is fully accessible for disabled travellers. Ticket vending machines are available, along with a long-line PA system and passenger information screens to convey train running information.
Services
There is generally an hourly service daily (including Sundays) to Blackburn and Clitheroe northbound and Manchester Victoria southbound, rising to half-hourly during weekday peak hours.[4]
References
- ↑ Marshall, John (1969). The Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway, volume 1. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. pp. 178, 181. ISBN 0-7153-4352-1.
- ↑ Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. pp. 179, 77. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
- ↑ "Engineering work between Clitheroe and Manchester"Northern Rail news article 9 June 2015; Retrieved 15 September 2015
- ↑ GB eNRT December 2015 Edition, Table 94
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Darwen railway station. |
- Train times and station information for Darwen railway station from National Rail
| Preceding station | National Rail |
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blackburn | Northern Ribble Valley Line |
Entwistle or Bromley Cross | ||
| Historical railways | ||||
| Lower Darwen Line open, station closed |
Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Blackburn, Darwen and Bolton Railway |
Spring Vale Line open, station closed | ||