Supporting and developing Lancashire’s rail network for the benefit of the communities it connects for 25 Years.
We invite you to go on a journey to explore this exciting historic county with its great variety of landscapes, seascapes, cities, towns and villages. There is lots to see and do.
Connecting all these are the local railways that Community Rail Lancashire supports through it’s Community Rail Partnerships (CRPs). So what is on offer?
The Yorkshire Dales Explorer
A brand new service linking Manchester, East Lancashire and the Ribble Valley to stations in the Yorkshire Dales. Click HERE to find out more!
The West of Lancashire CRP
The West of Lancashire CRP covers the Preston to Ormskirk, Wigan to Southport and the Wigan to Headbolt Lane lines. Click HERE to Make a Bee Line for the West of Lancashire Lines.
The South Fylde Line CRP
The South Fylde line CRP covers the Preston to Blackpool South line. Click HERE to explore the South Fylde Line.
The Clitheroe Line CRP
The Clitheroe Line CRP covers the scenic line from Manchester to Clitheroe. Click HERE to explore the Clitheroe Line. A brand new Line Guide with Timetable has just been published and this can be seen on this link: The Clitheroe Line Guide & Timetable – web version
The East Lancashire CRP
The East Lancashire CRP covers the lines from Preston to Colne and to Burnley Manchester Road. Click HERE to explore the East Lancashire Line.
The Bentham Line CRP
More correctly known as The Leeds, Morecambe CRP this covers the line from Leeds to Morecambe & Heysham Port. Click HERE to explore the Bentham Line. The Bentham Line also has it’s own website that can be seen here: thebenthamline.co.uk/
Community Rail Lancashire also has an education team and you can find out more about their work and how you can contact them by clicking HERE
A brand new Saturdays only service from Rochdale, Manchester, Bolton, Blackburn and the Ribble Valley stations through to Ribblehead station on the Settle to Carlisle Line. More information here Yorkshire Dales Explorer.
A programme of guided walks led by the volunteers from the Lancashire Rail Ramblers is available each Saturday.
Community Rail Lancashire has developed a new line guide for the Clitheroe Line . The leaflet will take you along the journey from the city of Manchester to the market town of Clitheroe at the heart of the Ribble Valley.
To find out more about this scenic line the stations and attractions along the route and to download a copy of the leaflet click the Find out More button below.
Explore Lancashire by Rail
Is a series of films being made for Community Rail Lancashire by a local creative film company Huckleberry Films which are designed to encourage people to Explore Lancashire by Rail.
Click the ‘find out more’ button below to see the five films that have been published so far!
Eco Escapes are making connections: between town and country; between visitors and residents and between people and nature.
Eco Escapes are all about travelling light and treading carefully in the stunning rural landscapes of Lancashire. They are about leaving the car at home and taking the time to explore new places by public transport, on foot or by bike. They are about discovering the county’s wonderful natural environments and the wildlife that makes its home there.
For more details of this exciting venture including a sustainable travel map visit the EcoEscapes website at: discoverbowland.uk/activities/ecoescapes/
‘Make a Beeline for the West Lancashire Line’ is a marketing project, that combines the vital elements of education and wider community involvement with tourism attractions and professional marketing.
The project is supported by a video that can be seen on this link: Exploring Lancashire by Rail (a walk from Burscough to Rufford) and a leaflet that can be downloaded here: Make A Beeline
Discover the South Fylde Line is a brand new line guide launched by the South Fylde Line Community Rail Partnership (SFLCRP) and Community Rail Lancashire (CRL) during Community Rail Week 2022.
The project is supported by a video that can be seen on this link: Exploring Lancashire by Rail (a walk from Lytham to St. Anne’s via the Coast) and a leaflet that can be downloaded here: Discover the South Fylde Line.
Accrington Eco Station was one of the UKs first eco stations and has been designed to have less impact on the environment through for example the use of recycled materials in its construction; the application of high-quality insulation to reduce the need for artificial heating and cooling and the generation of electricity by harnessing the sun’s energy.
If you would like to find out more about the eco features of the station click here to view a presentation about the station and here to view a full colour poster about the station.
Over 40 of Community Rail Lancashire’s stations on their community rail lines have an interesting history and posters have been made and are on display at the stations.
These include stations on the lines in Lancashire and also along the Bentham Line from Leeds to Lancaster & Morecambe.
Friends of Stations or Station Adoption is described by the Community Rail Network as ‘the involvement of two or more individuals or organisations from outside the railway industry in the care of a station’.
Community Rail Lancashire (CRL), Northern Trains (Northern) and the Community Rail Network all promote and support the adoption of railway stations by Friends groups. Station Adoption and the Friends Groups across the CRL area are managed by Northern Railways and to check if your local station is adopted or already has a Friends group you can find out by contacting one of Northern Railway’s Community & Sustainability Managers, Martin Keating (martin.keating@northernrailway.co.uk) or Sarah Morgan (simon.abbott@northernrailway.co.uk).
A new project aimed at encouraging young people to use public transport rather then the car. Posted 10.07.26
YDE service starts at Bolton this week - if you are venturing out the forecast is for highs of 24°C so make sure to keep hydrated & use sun cream. Also look out for new advance fares for journeys starting from Rochdale to Blackburn for Hellifield, Settle, Horton in Ribblesdale & Ribblehead. Posted 07.07.26
Dholki, a south eastern Asian traditional double-headed hand drum played on train to start summer long wedding celebrations. Posted 01.07.26
Arthur, aged 7 judges the All Aboard Colouring Competition at the Exhibition to celebrate 200 years of passenger railway. Posted 30.06.26
Through Our Eyes: Blind and partially sighted photographers share their view of the world. Posted 29.06.26
Additional services for the Open Golf Tournament and engineering work between Southport and Wigan in July 2026. Posted 29.06.26
Lancashire has four community rail partnerships (CRPs) that cover a total of seven lines or routes and these form one of the biggest groups of CRPs in the country.
