View source for Clitheroe railway station

{{Short description|Railway station in Lancashire, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2017}}
{{more citations needed|date=April 2011}}
{{Infobox station
| name = Clitheroe
| symbol_location = gb
| symbol = rail
| image = Clitheroe railway station.JPG
| caption = Clitheroe railway station
| borough = [[Clitheroe]], [[Ribble Valley]]
| country = England
| grid_name = [[Ordnance Survey National Grid|Grid reference]]
| grid_position = {{gbmapscaled|SD741419|25|SD741419}}
| manager = [[Northern Trains]]
| platforms = 2
| code = CLH
| classification = [[United Kingdom railway station categories|DfT category]] F2
| years = 22 June 1850
| events = Original station opened
| years1 = 1893/4
| events1 = Station rebuilt
| years2 = 10 September 1962
| events2 = Station closed
| years3 = 29 May 1994
| events3 = Station reopened
| mpassengers = 
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2019/20 |passengers={{increase}} 0.305 million}}
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2020/21 |passengers={{decrease}} 93,220}}
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2021/22 |passengers={{increase}} 0.258 million}}
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2022/23 |passengers={{increase}} 0.287 million}}
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2023/24 |passengers={{decrease}} 0.268 million}}
| footnotes = Passenger statistics from the [[Office of Rail and Road]]
| mapframe = yes
| mapframe-zoom = 14
}}
'''Clitheroe railway station''' serves the town of [[Clitheroe]] in [[Lancashire]], [[England]]. The station is situated on the [[Ribble Valley line]], and is operated by [[Northern Trains]]. It is {{convert|10|mi|km}} north of {{rws|Blackburn}}. The station forms part of [[Clitheroe Interchange]], which has won a number of awards.

== History ==
The original station opened on 22 June 1850. It was replaced in 1893–4 by another approximately {{convert|220|yd|m}} to the north. The station closed to normal services on 10 September 1962 (that is, before the Beeching cuts) but remained in use for special services until 7 February 1971. The special services resumed on 14 May 1990, and the station was fully reopened on 29 May 1994, when passenger services began again from Blackburn.<ref name=Butt>{{harvnb|Butt|1995|p=63}}</ref>

The line from here continues northwards towards {{rws|Hellifield}}, but this section is normally used only by freight and engineering trains on weekdays; passenger services are limited to a pair of Saturday only ''Dalesrail'', charter trains and occasional railtours. The line also forms part of a valuable strategic diversionary route between {{stnlnk|Preston}} and {{stnlnk|Carlisle}}, which is utilised if planned engineering work blocks the [[West Coast Main Line]] over Shap. (Though diverts are very rare). It has also been used in emergency for unplanned work between these locations. Terminating trains from the Blackburn direction run empty up to Horrocksford Junction to the north (where the former Ribble Cement (now Hansons) factory branch diverges from the main line) and use the crossover there to reverse and change lines prior to returning to the station.

The station has since become an award-winning bus and train transport interchange. The bus station, known as the [[Clitheroe Interchange]], is the terminus for bus connections bringing passengers from towns and villages in the [[Ribble Valley]] area to the train service to {{stnlnk|Blackburn}} and [[Manchester Victoria railway station|Manchester]]. The [[Ribble Valley Line]] is a community railway line and is supervised by the [[Ribble Valley Rail]] group, which includes the train operator Northern.

==Facilities==
The station had a ticket office, which was next to the old station building (which is used as an art gallery). The ticket office, operated by Lancashire County Council rather than operator Northern, permanently closed from February 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Clitheroe's ticket office to close permanently next week|url=https://www.clitheroeadvertiser.co.uk/news/people/clitheroes-ticket-office-close-permanently-next-week-1376278|access-date=2021-01-06|website=www.clitheroeadvertiser.co.uk|language=en}}</ref> It was staffed Monday to Friday. All tickets must now be purchased via mobile device or from the ticket machine on Platform 1. There are waiting shelters on both platforms (which are offset from each other) and train running details are provided via digital screens, signage, customer help points and automatic announcements. Step-free access is available on both sides.<ref>[http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations/CLH/details.html Clitheroe station facilities] ''National Rail Enquiries''</ref>

==Services==
All train services are operated by [[Northern Trains]]. There is generally an hourly service daily from Clitheroe to {{rws|Rochdale}} via [[Blackburn railway station|Blackburn]] and [[Manchester Victoria railway station|Manchester Victoria]] with some extra trains during weekday peak hours.<ref>{{NRtimes|May 2023|103}}</ref>
Northern used to operate a variety of train types on the route but now only operate a variety of [[Sprinter (British_Rail)|Sprinter]] trains, including [[British Rail Class 150|Class 150]], [[British Rail Class 156|Class 156]] units.

For much of 2017 and 2018, Saturday and Sunday services to Manchester were either partially replaced by buses south of Bolton or diverted via {{rws|Accrington}} and {{rws|Todmorden}} while the [[Manchester to Preston Line]] was closed for electrification work.<ref>[https://www.northernrailway.co.uk/news/improvements/1657-manchester-bolton-preston-route-improvement-works-2 "Manchester - Bolton - Preston route improvement works"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180730170823/https://www.northernrailway.co.uk/news/improvements/1657-manchester-bolton-preston-route-improvement-works-2 |date=30 July 2018 }}''Northern'' website news article June 2018; Retrieved 30 July 2018</ref>

On Sundays, one or two trains operated from Preston along the Ribble Valley Line via Clitheroe to Hellifield and onwards towards {{stnlnk|Carlisle}} via the [[Settle-Carlisle Line]]. This improves on the previous service that only ran in the summer.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.communityraillancashire.co.uk/winter-dalesrail|title=Dalesrail 2013 timetable change|date=December 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140501235609/http://www.communityraillancashire.co.uk/winter-dalesrail|archive-date=1 May 2014|df=dmy-all}}</ref>  The Dales Rail service was suspended from the winter 2022 timetable change.

Since June 2024 Northern has run an amended service, operating Saturdays only. This sees two return trips from Rochdale to Ribblehead via Manchester Victoria, Bolton and Clitheroe. This is branded as the Yorkshire Dales Explorer rather than Dales Rail.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://communityraillancashire.co.uk/lines/yorkshire-dales-explorer/ | title=Yorkshire Dales Explorer &#124; Community Rail Lancashire }}</ref>

Due to overcrowding at certain times, there are plans from the [[Department for Transport]] to increase services from 1&nbsp;tph to 2&nbsp;tph; however, the funding for this may not be available.

<gallery>
Image:Clitheroe railway station 2.JPG|The old station building, now converted into the Platform Gallery.
Image:Clitheroe railway station 3.JPG|A view of platform 2 from the Platform Gallery. 
Image:Clitheroe railway station 4.JPG|A view of the old goods depot, now [[Booths]] supermarket.
</gallery>

==Notes==
{{reflist|colwidth=20em}}

== References ==
*{{cite book |last=Butt |first=R.V.J. |title=The Directory of Railway Stations |year=1995 |publisher=Patrick Stephens Ltd |location=Yeovil |isbn=1-85260-508-1 |id=R508 }}
* Welch, M.S. (2004) ''Lancashire Steam Finale'', Runpast Publishing, Cheltenham, {{ISBN|1-870754-61-1}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Clitheroe railway station}}
{{stn art lnk|CLH|BB72ED}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060618141431/http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/environment/bus/clitheroe_interchange/clitheroe.asp Clitheroe Interchange - Lancashire County Council Environmental Directorate] 
*[http://www.ribblevalleyrail.co.uk/ Ribble Valley Rail official website]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kw3WprSo9sg Video of Clitheroe Railway Station]

{{rail start}}
{{rail line two to one |next=[[Whalley railway station|Whalley]]|route=[[Northern Trains]]<br /><small>[[Ribble Valley Line]]</small>|previous1=''Terminus'' |previous2=[[Hellifield railway station|Hellifield]]<br /><small>Limited service<br />Saturdays only</small>|col={{Northern colour}} }}
{{Historical Rail Insert}}
{{rail line|next=[[Whalley railway station|Whalley]]|previous=[[Chatburn railway station|Chatburn]] |route=[[Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway]]<br /><small>[[Blackburn Railway]]</small> |col={{LYR colour}} }}
{{s-end}}

{{Clitheroe}}
{{Railway stations in Lancashire}}
{{Borough of Ribble Valley culture}}

{{Coord|53|52|26|N|2|23|39|W|type:railwaystation_region:GB|display=title}}

[[Category:Clitheroe]]
[[Category:Railway stations in Ribble Valley]]
[[Category:DfT Category F2 stations]]
[[Category:Former Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway stations]]
[[Category:Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1850]]
[[Category:Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1962]]
[[Category:Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1994]]
[[Category:Reopened railway stations in Great Britain]]
[[Category:Railway stations served by Northern]]