Accrington  | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| General information | |||||
| Location | Accrington,Hyndburn England | ||||
| Grid reference | SD757285 | ||||
| Managed by | Northern Trains | ||||
| Platforms | 2 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | ACR | ||||
| Classification | DfT category E | ||||
| History | |||||
| Original company | East Lancashire Railway | ||||
| Pre-grouping | Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway | ||||
| Post-grouping | London, Midland & Scottish Railway | ||||
| Key dates | |||||
| 19 June 1848 | Station opens | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2019/20 |  0.466 million | ||||
| 2020/21 |  0.119 million | ||||
| 2021/22 | 0.386 million | ||||
| 2022/23 | 0.460 million | ||||
| 2023/24 | 0.474 million | ||||
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Accrington railway station serves the town ofAccrington inLancashire,England. It is a station on theEast Lancashire line6+1⁄4 miles (10.1 km) east ofBlackburn railway station operated byNorthern Trains.
It is also served byCalder Valley Line express services betweenBlackpool North,Leeds andYork.
The station was opened on 10 June 1848 by theEast Lancashire Railway,[1] which amalgamated with theLancashire & Yorkshire Railway in 1859. Taken into theLondon, Midland & Scottish Railway during theGrouping of 1923, the line then passed on to theLondon Midland Region of British Railways onnationalisation in 1948.
The station was formerly a major junction on the ELR, with the line toBury andSalford diverging southwards from that towards Blackburn and Preston at the western end of the station, just before the impressive viaduct that carries the line over the town centre.
This was, for many years, a busy commuter route carrying regular trains fromSkipton and Colne toManchester Victoria, but it fell victim to theBeeching cuts in the sixties and closed to passengers on 5 December 1966.[2] Few traces of this route remain today, the formation through the town (including part of the notorious 1 in 40 Baxenden Bank) having been built over.
WhenSectorisation was introduced, the station was served byRegional Railways until thePrivatisation of British Railways.
In April 2006, the body of a dead man was found slumped on the platform, thus closing the station for twelve hours.[3] In July 2006, it was reported the dead man was in a very drunk state.[4] In February 2008, another dead body of a man was found on the station.[5]
The station has two side platforms, flanking the twin-track railway line. Other than three small shelters (two on platform 2 and one on platform one) there is no protection from the elements; indeed, even with the recent improvements, the whole impression is one of a basic halt. It offers disabled access via ramps adjacent to the platforms.
In 2011, the station underwent a major rebuild, as part of a project to create a model of sustainable energy use for a railway station. This redevelopment cost£2 million, of which £500,000 was funded by theEuropean Union'sInterreg IVB programme. The previously existing ticket office has been demolished, and was replaced by a new build and constructed, where possible, with local materials including recycled stone. The building uses arainwater harvesting system, photovoltaic cells and solar hot water generation panels on the new tower.[6]
| 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entries and exits | 465,758 | 119,210 | 385604 | 459,616 |
As of May 2025, the weekday off-peak service pattern is as follows:[8]
The service between Blackpool North and York has ran hourly on Sundays since the May 2009 timetable change,[9] Before this, services were much more infrequent.
There was a solitary Mon to Fri morning commuter service from Colne to Manchester Victoria that formerly called here, along with a corresponding return working during the evening. This was however withdrawn at the May 2009 timetable change[10] (it was diverted to run toClitheroe instead).
Additionally, on Sundays, the service between Preston and Colne is extended toBlackpool South. These call at all stops (except Salwick), including the major stations of Preston, Blackburn and Burnley Central.
From May 2015, direct services to Manchester Victoria resumed (after a gap of almost fifty years) with the reopening of theTodmorden Curve.[11] These start at Blackburn and continue onwards through Burnley Manchester Road, using theCaldervale Line south of Todmorden to reachRochdale and Manchester. An hourly service each way operates on this route throughout the week.[12] Most of these trains continue beyond Manchester, toWigan Wallgate andHeadbolt Lane or Southport (Sundays-only)[13]
| Preceding station |  National Rail | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Trains | ||||
| Northern Trains | ||||
| Disused railways | ||||
| Church & Oswaldtwistle Line and station open | Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway | Huncoat Line and station open | ||
| Baxenden Line and station closed | ||||
