East Lancashire Railway (Preston Extension Line) :: Shared Description
Opened in 1850 by the East Lancashire Railway Company, the line provided the company with a new, more direct, route from Bamber Bridge and Lostock Hall to Preston which avoided having to use the North Union Railway's line at Farington.
The route necessitated a long viaduct across the Ribble and its floodplain. This subsequently started to subside, so most of the arches were filled in to create a long embankment. At the insistence of Preston Corporation, a public footpath was provided along the viaduct across the Ribble, and Ivy Bridge (which would eventually separate Avenham and Miller parks) was given an ornate and picturesque design.
Services ran along the line from Preston to East Lancashire (via Bamber Bridge) and Ormskirk (via Lostock Hall). Preston Junction (later Todd Lane Junction) was the sole station on the line, located just north of Preston Junction: Link
The ELR was taken over by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway in 1859. The Whitehouse Junctions were later constructed to connect with the West Lancashire Railway Line at Penwortham*. These junctions closed in the mid-1960s, along with the WLR itself. Todd Lane Junction station remained open until 1968. Passenger services were removed in 1972 and the line closed entirely in 1977. Trains now use the less direct route through Farington which the Extension Line was built to avoid!
Today, the section of the former line south of the River Ribble and north of Brownedge Road is part of Preston Junction Nature Reserve, through which runs a public foot, cycle and bridle path. The path continues across a replacement bridge of the Ribble to Avenham and Miller Parks. It is planned that it will soon be further extended along the former trackbed to provide a direct pedestrian and cycle link to Preston Railway Station.
*This is a useful diagram showing Preston's once complex railway network: Link
The route necessitated a long viaduct across the Ribble and its floodplain. This subsequently started to subside, so most of the arches were filled in to create a long embankment. At the insistence of Preston Corporation, a public footpath was provided along the viaduct across the Ribble, and Ivy Bridge (which would eventually separate Avenham and Miller parks) was given an ornate and picturesque design.
Services ran along the line from Preston to East Lancashire (via Bamber Bridge) and Ormskirk (via Lostock Hall). Preston Junction (later Todd Lane Junction) was the sole station on the line, located just north of Preston Junction: Link
The ELR was taken over by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway in 1859. The Whitehouse Junctions were later constructed to connect with the West Lancashire Railway Line at Penwortham*. These junctions closed in the mid-1960s, along with the WLR itself. Todd Lane Junction station remained open until 1968. Passenger services were removed in 1972 and the line closed entirely in 1977. Trains now use the less direct route through Farington which the Extension Line was built to avoid!
Today, the section of the former line south of the River Ribble and north of Brownedge Road is part of Preston Junction Nature Reserve, through which runs a public foot, cycle and bridle path. The path continues across a replacement bridge of the Ribble to Avenham and Miller Parks. It is planned that it will soon be further extended along the former trackbed to provide a direct pedestrian and cycle link to Preston Railway Station.
*This is a useful diagram showing Preston's once complex railway network: Link
by Adam C Snape
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Created: Tue, 29 Dec 2015, Updated: Fri, 4 Mar 2016
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