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Notes
	Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Burscough Bridge
Burscough Bridge
General information
Location	Burscough, West Lancashire; England
Grid reference	SD444124
Managed by	Northern Trains
Platforms	2
Other information
Station code	BCB
Classification	DfT category F1
History
Opened	9 April 1855
Original company	Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway and East Lancashire Railway jointly
Pre-grouping	Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
Post-grouping	London Midland and Scottish Railway
Passengers
2019/20	0.218 million
2020/21	51,210
2021/22	0.141 million
2022/23	0.165 million
2023/24	0.167 million
Location
Location
Notes
Notes
	Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Burscough Bridge railway station (pronounced Burs/co Bridge) is one of two railway stations which serves the town of Burscough in Lancashire, England. It is on the Manchester-Southport Line. It is operated and managed by Northern Trains. A bus interchange has recently been constructed next to the station, including a shop and cafe (both now closed). The station has been identified by Merseytravel as a possible interchange between the Liverpool to Ormskirk line and the Southport to Wigan line in its Liverpool City Region Long Term Rail Strategy.^[1]

History

The station opened on 9 April 1855 when the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) and the East Lancashire Railway (ELR) jointly opened the line from Wigan Wallgate to Southport London Street, the line and station had been planned, authorised and construction started by the Manchester and Southport Railway before it was acquired by the L&YR and ELR on 3 July 1854.^[2]^[3] The main stone-built station building (no longer in use) was built during this time, in the standard L&YR style which had been described as "solid, substantial, well built of stone in the Elizabethan style, neat without undue ornament".^[4] The L&YR amalgamated with the London and North Western Railway on 1 January 1922 and in turn was grouped into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) in 1923.

There was a tragic incident at the station in September 1924 when a member of the public was hit while crossing the line by the staff crossing, rather than obeying the signs and using the road bridge. Alfred Rimmer, aged 55, of Burscough was caught by the first carriage of an express train, knocking him under the wheels. His body was "terribly mutilated".^[5]

Nationalisation followed in 1948. When Sectorisation was introduced in the 1980s, the station was served by Regional Railways until the privatisation of British Rail. Until 1962, when this passenger service was withdrawn, trains from Southport to Burscough Bridge could continue to Burscough Junction and onto Ormskirk by means of one of the two curves that linked Wigan to Southport route with the ex-East Lancashire Railway main line between Preston and Liverpool Exchange. Both connections have since been lifted, but the formations remain and there have been calls from various parties to reopen them to allow through running from Southport to both Ormskirk and Preston.^[6]

The main buildings on the Wigan-bound platform still stand, but are now in use as a privately operated nursery school.

Interchange

This station is not to be confused with Burscough Junction, which is also in Burscough, but on the Ormskirk - Preston line. A bus interchange has been constructed next to the station to transport passengers between Burscough Bridge and Burscough Junction, including a shop and cafe. A ticket office was built within the complex; this opened in 2005, but was closed on 25 June 2016 due to council budget cuts. A public notice from Lancashire County Council informs passengers that the nearest staffed station is either Ormskirk or Parbold.^[7]

There is step-free access to both platforms.^[8]

Burscough Curves

During the rail restructuring of the 1960s and 1970s, the "Burscough Curves", which formed a link between the Ormskirk-Preston and Southport-Wigan lines were removed, although the formation survives. The North Curve was taken out of use and severed in July 1969, being lifted in 1973: it was last used for a Saturdays only empty train from Blackpool to Southport.^[9] The South Curve was singled in 1970, but remained in use to serve the extensive sidings at the MOD depot located just to the north of Burscough Junction station. It saw its last train in 1982.

The passenger service from Ormskirk to Burscough Junction and on to Southport, which used the southern curve, was withdrawn in 1962 as can be seen from the British Rail London Midland Region Timetable of that year.

Pressure from local transport groups, West Lancashire Borough Council and former Southport MP John Pugh has not so far persuaded Network Rail to reinstate the curves. Various schemes have been proposed, including the full electrification of the line from Southport via Burscough to Ormskirk using the same third rail system as Merseyrail. This proposal would allow users of the Ormskirk branch of Merseyrail's Northern Line to reach Southport without having to travel via Sandhills.

In June 2009, the Association of Train Operating Companies, in its Connecting Communities: Expanding Access to the Rail Network report, called for funding for the reopening of this line as part of a £500m scheme to open 33 stations on 14 lines closed in the Beeching Axe, including seven new parkway stations.^[10]^[11] The uses of the curves in a new service pattern has been identified by Network Rail, if electrified along with the through lines.^[12]

Additionally, Network Rail has identified electrification of Wigan to Southport, together with the Ormskirk to Preston Line and the Burscough Curves as a possible source of new services.^[12]

Battery trains as enabler to open the curves

The New Merseyrail Fleet A Platform For Future Innovations document, mentions regarding Ormskirk-Preston enhancements, that there is the potential to use battery powered Merseyrail units that may improve the business case for opening the curves. The document states there will be a review after the Merseyrail units have been tested for battery operation in 2020.^[13]

MP unification

In March 2020, the MPs for Southport, South Ribble, West Lancs and Preston (Damien Moore, Katherine Fletcher, Rosie Cooper and Sir Mark Hendrick) along with Lancashire County Council leader Geoff Driver united in a bid to pressure Network Rail and the Government to reinstate the curves.^[14] The bid that was put forward was seeking just £50,000 funding to look further into feasibility studies and start preparation for a formal business case. However, the Department for Transport made the decision to turn down the application despite the opening statement reading ‘The proposal makes a strong case for the intervention” for social and economic reasons and “a strong transport case with the area suffering from poor connectivity, congestion and air quality issues”^[15]

Services

On Monday to Saturday daytimes, there are two trains an hour westbound to Southport and eastbound to Wigan. Since the May 2019 timetable change, eastbound trains now continue via Bolton to both Manchester stations. One runs to Manchester Victoria and Stalybridge and the other to Manchester Oxford Road. Passengers for Manchester Piccadilly, Stockport and points south need to change at Oxford Road. Passengers for Atherton line stations must change trains at Wigan to reach stations on this route.^[16]

On Sundays there is an hourly service to Southport and Blackburn via Manchester Victoria. These run via Atherton.

Gallery

The old station building on the Wigan platform.
The new station (now occupied by Burscough Town Council) building on the Southport platform.
Burscough Bridge signal box.
The station in 1964, looking towards Wigan
View towards Southport in 1964
Express train at Burscough Bridge Junction Box

References

^ "Liverpool City Region Long Term Rail Strategy" (PDF). Merseytravel. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 September 2014. Retrieved 7 September 2014.
^ Quick 2023.
^ Grant 2017, p. 358.
^ Marshall 1969, p. 158.
^ "Burscough Man's Terrible Fate". Lancashire Evening Post. 18 September 1924. p. 6.
^ "Southport, Preston and West Lancs MPS launch Burscough curve rail bid". 29 March 2020.
^ "Burscough Bridge ticket office closes" McCoid-Sou, Sophie Southport Visiter news article 28 June 2016; Retrieved 19 December 2016
^ Burscough Bridge station facilities National Rail Enquiries; Retrieved 19 December 2016
^ British Railways London Midland Region Working Timetable May 1969-May 1970.
^ "England - Operators call for new rail lines". BBC News. 15 June 2009. Retrieved 15 June 2009.
^ "Connecting Communities – Expanding Access to the Rail Network" (PDF). London: Association of Train Operating Companies. June 2009. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
^ ^a ^b "Network RUS Electrification" (PDF). October 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 October 2014. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
^ "Archived copy" (PDF). moderngov.merseytravel.uk.net. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 15 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^ Houston, Hayley (29 March 2020). "Southport, Preston and West Lancs MPs launch Burscough curve rail bid". accrington. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
^ Lopez, Jamie (4 November 2021). "Preston to Southport rail link plan rejection hard to understand". Lancashire Live. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
^ Table 101 National Rail timetable, December 2022

Bibliography

Grant, Donald J. (2017). Directory of the Railway Companies of Great Britain (1st ed.). Kibworth Beauchamp, Leicestershire: Troubador Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-1-78803-768-6.
Marshall, John (1969). The Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway. Vol. 1. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. ISBN 978-0-7153-4352-4.
Quick, Michael (2023) [2001]. Railway passenger stations in Great Britain: a chronology (PDF). version 5.05. Railway & Canal Historical Society.

External links

Train times and station information for Burscough Bridge railway station from National Rail

Preceding station	National Rail		Following station
New Lane or Meols Cop or Southport		Northern Trains Manchester-Southport Line	Hoscar or Parbold
	Disused railways
Rufford		Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Burscough Curves North	Terminus
Terminus		Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Burscough Curves South	Burscough Junction