Burnley Manchester Road in line for £3.4m upgrade 

A project aimed at improving the accessibility of the town’s main train station is to be paid for through the government’s Levelling Up Fund. 

The upgrade of Burnley Manchester Road will deliver a footbridge and lifts to make access between platforms easier. 

There is currently no footbridge between the two platforms so passengers are required to walk a 300-metre circuitous route to access the Preston-bound platform. 

It is hoped the £3.4m project will “open up the station to a wider range of potential travellers with different needs” by improving accessibility, according to a report to Lancashire County Council’s cabinet.  

Network Rail will carry out the project. 

The creation of a footbridge and lifts is the latest part of an ongoing initiative to upgrade the station that has already seen the construction of a new ticket office, a secure car park and customer information systems. 

Between 2015 and 2020, Burnley Manchester Road saw a 23% uptick in passenger numbers following the opening of the Todmorden Curve. 

The Todmorden Curve allowed for direct services between Manchester and Burnley for the first time since the 1970s. Passengers travelling between Manchester and Burnley had previously had to change at Hebden Bridge or Blackburn. 

The station now serves half a million passengers a year.