Work starts on £2.3m Burnley railway station revamp

Work is underway on a £2.3m railway station redevelopment in Lancashire.

The new Manchester Road railway station is being built in Burnley as part of plans to reinstate a faster rail route between East Lancashire and Manchester.

The revamp is the prelude to the re-opening of the Todmorden Curve, a 500m section of track which was decommissioned in the 1960’s.

The reopening would connect the Burnley to Manchester lines and cut travel time to 40 minutes.

Currently, the journey takes 80 minutes as commuters change at Hebden Bridge.

Julie Cooper, leader of Burnley Council, said she hoped the reinstatement would see an increase in passenger numbers through the town, adding that it was a “vitally important project for Burnley’s future economic growth”.

The station was originally built in 1886, closed in November 1961 and reopened in September 1986.

It is hoped the new station building will open in March 2014.

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