View source for Fleetwood branch line

{{Short description|Closed railway line in the UK}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2016}}
{{Blackpool & Fleetwood Branch Lines}}

The '''Fleetwood branch line''' is a railway line that ran from {{stnlink|Preston}} to {{stnlink|Fleetwood}}. It passed through many smaller stations along the way, most of which are now closed. When work at Fleetwood docks was under threat in the mid-1960s, the main Fleetwood station was closed, and the remainder of the branch south to Poulton followed in 1970. There are active proposals to re-open the branch to passenger services.<ref name="railmag"/>

== History ==
{{main|Preston and Wyre Joint Railway}}

The line was first opened in 1840. In 1966, {{stnlink|Fleetwood}} station was closed, and {{stnlink|Wyre Dock}} station became the terminus.<ref>{{cite book|last=Welch|first=MS|year=2004|title=Lancashire Steam Finale|publisher=Runpast Publishing|location=Cheltenham|isbn=1-870754-61-1|page=28}}</ref> However, four years later, in 1970, passenger services were curtailed as far as {{stnlink|Poulton-le-Fylde}}.<ref>{{cite book|last=Suggitt|first=G|orig-year=2003|year=2004|title=Lost Railways of Lancashire|publisher=Countryside Books|location=Newbury|isbn=1-85306-801-2|page=41}}</ref> The line continued as a freight route to access the [[Imperial Chemical Industries|ICI]] plant at {{stnlnk|Burn Naze Halt}} until 1999, when all traffic on the line ceased.

== Current situation ==
[[File:Poulton-le-Fylde Junction.jpg|thumb|Poulton-le-Fylde Junction, where the disused line joined the main line to Blackpool (2008)]]
[[File:Fleetwood branch line.jpg|thumb|The same view in 2024]]

Some of the line is now cleared of overgrowth because the northern track was not lifted from past {{rws|Burn Naze Halt}} to just beyond Jameson Road in [[Fleetwood]]. However, the road bridge was filled in below it. The junction, last used when goods trains took coal to [[Fleetwood power stations|Fleetwood Power Station]], still exists. Looking over the road bridge on Jameson Road, the track to both north and south can still be seen through the undergrowth.<ref name="rh239">{{cite news|magazine=Railway Herald|date=2010-09-20|access-date=2010-09-21|url=http://archive.railwayherald.com/Issue239.pdf|title=£30,000 feasibility study for Poulton to Fleetwood line could go ahead|page=15|issue=239|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715151745/http://archive.railwayherald.com/Issue239.pdf|archive-date=15 July 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> In the 1990s, the new [[A585]] Amounderness Way bypass was built on the former trackbed, although sufficient space still exists for a reinstated railway should it be required.

<gallery>
File:Fleetwood branch line northbound.jpg|The overgrown track in 2024, looking northbound from Hillylaid crossing in Thornton
File:Fleetwood branch line southbound.jpg|And southbound
File:New Lane railway crossing.jpg|The crossing at New Lane, Thornton
</gallery>

== Future of the branch ==
In its 2009 [[Connecting Communities: Expanding Access to the Rail Network|''Connecting Communities'']] report, the [[Association of Train Operating Companies]] supported the re-opening of the branch line to Fleetwood,<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.atoc.org/media-centre/atoc-press-releases/2009/06/15/rail-report-makes-case-for-considering-new-community-links-100063/|title=Rail Report Makes Case For Considering New Community Links|date=2009-06-15|publisher=Association of Train Operating Companies|access-date=2015-02-25}}</ref>{{ATOCConnectingCommunitiesReportS10|page=18}} and [[Lancashire County Council]]'s (LCC) Rail Improvement Schemes draft report in March 2010 stated that the case for re-opening was "compelling".<ref name="railmag">{{cite news |magazine=Rail |issue=641 |pages=16–17 |title=Todmorden and Fleetwood top Lancashire's rail list}}</ref> Network Rail stated that a feasibility study had to take place first, which would cost around £30,000.<ref name="rh239"/> As well as re-opening the branch, it is likely that a third platform would also be constructed at Poulton-le-Fylde.<ref name="rh239"/>

During the [[2019 United Kingdom general election|2019 general election]] campaign, [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]] [[Boris Johnson]] pledged to reopen the line.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.lancs.live/news/lancashire-news/boris-johnson-pledges-re-open-17273077|title=Boris Johnson pledges to re-open Poulton and Fleetwood railway line|publisher=LancsLive|date=18 November 2019}}</ref>

As part of the Preston to Blackpool Electrification there is passive provision for reinstatement of the line to Burn Naze and Fleetwood.<ref>RAIL Issue 845 p.72</ref>

In January 2019, the line was identified by [[Campaign for Better Transport (United Kingdom)|Campaign for Better Transport]] as a priority 1 candidate for reopening.<ref>{{cite web |title=The case for expanding the rail network |url=https://bettertransport.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/legacy-files/research-files/case-for-expanding-rail-network.pdf |publisher=Campaign for Better Transport |access-date=2023-03-12}}</ref>

In January 2020, the government announced funding of £100,000 for a feasibility study of the route.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-51272817/|title=Beeching rail cuts: Fund to help restore lines goes ahead amid criticism|date=2020-01-28|publisher=BBC|access-date=2020-01-30}}</ref> 

The reinstatement of the Fleetwood Railway Line was allocated government funding in 2022 under the Restoring Your Railway Fund.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/moving-ahead-to-reopen-railway-lines-and-stations-including-one-not-used-since-reign-of-king-george-v |title= Moving ahead to reopen railway lines and stations including one not used since reign of King George V |date= 18 June 2022 |website=GOV.UK}}</ref> and it is estimated that the cost of re-opening the branch is £5.5 million.<ref name="railmag"/>

=== Preservation ===
The [[Poulton & Wyre Railway Society]] is a local organisation campaigning for the line to be re-instated and have taken a three-year lease on {{stnlink|Thornton for Cleveleys}} station.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pwrs.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13&Itemid=29|title=PWRS Aims and Objectives|publisher=Poulton & Wyre Railway Society|access-date=2010-04-10}}</ref> LCC seeks to support the society to help to deliver the scheme.<ref name="railmag"/>

The Society, having completed full restoration of Thornton-and-Cleveleys station as their headquarters, has now begun work to clear vegetation and restore the disused platform at Burn Naze halt, {{convert|2|mi}} north of Thornton-and-Cleveleys, as part of their ambition to restore most of the line for [[heritage railway|heritage trains]].

== See also ==
* [[Blackpool branch lines]]
* [[Preston and Wyre Joint Railway]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.pwrs.org Poulton and Wyre Railway Society] – Poulton and Wyre Railway Society are working towards restoring passenger services to Fleetwood
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=in_rTr1ubkA "Poulton to Burn Naze - Hertfordshire Rail Tours 1992"] – Chris Harring, [[YouTube]]

{{Borough of Wyre culture}}
{{Heritage railways in England}}

[[Category:Rail transport in Lancashire]]
[[Category:Borough of Wyre]]
[[Category:Closed railway lines in North West England]]
[[Category:Transport in the City of Preston]]