CRL - Community Rail Lancashire

Saturday 8th June saw the first Yorkshire Dales Explorer service operating from Rochdale/Manchester to Ribblehead. The train carried over 150 passengers.

There was a great atmosphere on the train and many of the passengers were planning to go for a walk in this stunning area with some joining one of the guided walks provided by the Lancashire Rail Ramblers. The train sported a headboard and the leading unit 156 424 has been named the ‘Yorkshire Dales Explorer’. Passengers were welcomed aboard the first service and received a ‘goody bag’ courtesy of Northern. The service is the culmination of a lot of planning and will operate every Saturday all year round. During the summer there will be guided walks provided by the Lancashire Rail Ramblers and FoSCL (Friends of the Settle Carlisle). Full details can be found at https://communityraillancashire.co.uk/yorkshire-dales-explorer-walks/.

At the same time Ribble Valley Rail marked the 30th anniversary of the return of regular passenger services between Blackburn and Clitheroe with a special anniversary board.

Richard Watts, Chair Community Rail Lancashire commented: “The Yorkshire Dales Explorer is a great successor to DalesRail and is the culmination of a lot of work and planning behind the scenes. With special thanks to Northern who have named 156424 ‘Yorkshire Dales Explorer’ and to the Ribblehead station volunteers who coped brilliantly with the sudden influx of visitors on Saturday. I look forward to working with Northern, Lancashire County Council, York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, Northern, DfT, Rail North Partnership, the Lancashire Rail Ramblers, FoSCL and many others in continuing to promote and develop this service”.