Blackpool South railway station
Blackpool South  | |
|---|---|
 A Class 142 Pacer unit at Blackpool South waits to depart in 2011. | |
| Location | South Shore, Blackpool England |
| Coordinates | 53°47′54″N 3°02′56″W / 53.7983°N 3.0488°WCoordinates: 53°47′54″N 3°02′56″W / 53.7983°N 3.0488°W |
| Grid reference | SD310340 |
| Managed by | Northern Trains |
| Platforms | 1 |
| Other information | |
| Station code | BPS |
| Classification | DfT category F1 |
| Key dates | |
| 30 May 1903 | Opened as Waterloo Road |
| 17 March 1932[1] | Renamed Blackpool South |
| Passengers | |
| 2016/17 |  0.127 million |
| 2017/18 |  0.117 million |
| 2018/19 | 0.104 million |
| 2019/20 | 0.100 million |
| 2020/21 | 30,040 |
| Location | |
 | |
| Notes | |
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road | |
Blackpool South railway station serves the suburban south of the popular seaside resort of Blackpool, Lancashire, England. It is the terminus of the South Fylde Line 12+1⁄4 miles (19.7 km) west of Kirkham and Wesham by rail, though all services run through from Preston. It lies only a short walk from Blackpool Football Club's stadium at Bloomfield Road. The station is managed by Northern Trains, who operate all trains serving it. Blackpool South is located about 500 metres (1,600 ft) from Waterloo Road tram stop on the Blackpool Tramway.
History[]
The station was originally called Waterloo Road when it opened in 1903, at the junction with a newly built express Marton Line direct from Kirkham. It had four platforms [2] (two for each line at the junction) and soon became a busy station. Until November 1964, the line extended north from here to Blackpool Central. There were extensive sidings to accommodate the many excursion trains which came to Blackpool.
The Marton Line closed to regular traffic in 1965;[3] its track bed is now the road called Yeadon Way and the M55 motorway.
The station continued to handle through trains from Manchester, Liverpool and London until 1970, when these were all diverted to Blackpool North at the other end of town. It was then reduced to local status only, although it kept its signal box, two working platform faces and double track until 1982. The box was notable in that it was located on the opposite side of Waterloo Road bridge from the station and so could not see the tracks & platforms it controlled, instead being surrounded by the disused railway land once occupied by the main line & aforementioned sidings.[4] After the line was singled west of St Annes and the box was abolished, all trains used the former northbound platform and continue to do so to the present day. The substantial main buildings (booking office and waiting rooms) that formerly existed at street level were demolished in 1985.
For much of the 1970s and early 1980s nearly all services terminated at Kirkham, where passengers were forced to change if wanting to travel further east but from 1988 they were integrated with those on the East Lancashire Line, a timetable pattern that remained in place 7 days a week until May 2018.
Facilities[]
The station is unstaffed and only has basic amenities, namely a waiting shelter and bench seating. A touch screen ticket vending machine and timetable poster boards are available on the platform, with a payphone at the street-level station entrance. Train running information is provided via a digital CIS display and automated announcements. Step-free access is available via ramps from Waterloo Road and the car park.[5]
Services[]
The typical off-peak service from the station is:[6]
- 1tph (train per hour) to Preston
References[]
- ^ Butt, R.V.J. (1995), The Directory of Railway Stations, Patrick Stephens, ISBN 1-85260-508-1, p.36
- ^ Blackpool & Fylde Rail Users’ Association—Blackpool South Archived 11 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 17 October 2007
- ^ Suggitt, G. (2003, revised 2004) Lost Railways of Lancashire, Countryside Books, Newbury, ISBN 1-85306-801-2, p.46
- ^ Blackpool South signal box in the early 1970s after closure of line to Blackpool CentralRCTS; Retrieved 2013-10-23
- ^ Blackpool South station facilities National Rail Enquiries; Retrieved 24 February 2017
- ^ Table 97 National Rail timetable, May 2020
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Blackpool South railway station. |
- Train times and station information for Blackpool South railway station from National Rail
| Preceding station |  National Rail
|
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terminus | Northern Trains Blackpool South Branch Line | |||
| Disused railways | ||||
| Blackpool Central | Preston and Wyre Joint Railway Marton Line 1903–1965 |
Kirkham & Wesham | ||
| Historical railways | ||||
| Blackpool Central | Blackpool and Lytham Railway | Lytham Road | ||
- Railway stations in Blackpool
- Former Preston and Wyre Joint Railway stations
- Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1903
- Northern franchise railway stations