Colin Cooper, one of the founding members of the Prospects environmental charity and leading light in the Friends of Rishton station group has been honoured in a ceremony in Rishton. Colin who works tirelessly to keep Rishton and its station clean and tidy has had a new clock in Parker Street garden dedicated to him in  a ceremony on Saturday 27th February.

Click on the image belowto see the full story.

The South Fylde and East Lancashire Line CRPs have recently been successful in bidding for money from the Designated Line Commnity Rail Development Fund.

The South Fylde Line CRP is to use their money to design and print a 12 page A5 brochure to market the line. The brochure will highlight the attractions of this scenic line and also give users ideas of things to do and places to visit.

The East Lancashire Line CRP is looking to give the Pendle Connect ticket a marketing boost. The Pendle Connect ticket is a revolutionary new combined bus and rail ticket, that offers the opportunity to buy a ticket on the bus in the Pendle area, travel to your local rail station and then continue your journey by rail to Accrington, Blackburn or Preston! The grant money will be used to design new posters, and leaflets to publicise the ticket at bus and rail stations and also on the bus. Click here for more information about the Pendle Connect ticket

Friends of Hellifield Station are continuing their tradition of holding slideshows in the Station Cafe on Friday evenings. The latest programme sees a tour around the fells of Cumbria and also a round robin at the end of steam days in the 1960s. Click here to see the latest programme.

Saturday 30th January 2010 saw the latest LASRUG Coffee Morning take place in Bentham Town Hall. The event was again very well attended and with crafts, second hand books and cakes on sale the event raised £175 for LASRUG’s coffers. Look out for details of the next Coffee Morning at www.leedslancastermorecambecrp.co.uk or www.llmr.co.uk.

Engineering works will affect York to Blackpool North services from Sunday 7th Feb until 28th March inclusive with buses between Halifax and Blackpool North. Also affected on Sundays 7th & 14th Feb are services between Leeds/Bradford to Carlisle & Morecambe and between Skipton to Leeds/Bradford with buses between Leeds and Shipley and train services starting at Bradford Forster Square.   

Further information can be found by clicking the links below:

Blackpool North to Hebden Bridge
Leeds/Bradford to Carlisle & Morecambe
Skipton to Leeds/Bradford

Please also check the printed timetable for your line as many Sunday services are replaced by buses during this period.

Northern Rail have reintroduced their Senior and Accompanied Child flat fare tickets following the long Christmas break on the Southport – Wigan – Manchester Stations (via Bolton or Atherton) route.

• Senior Offer

  £5.00 flat fare day return, available as follows:

• To anyone 55 years old or over (proof of age required, either a passport, birth certificate, senior railcard or concessionary bus pass).
• Monday to Fridays only – outward any train timed to depart from 09.30, return any time the same day, but not valid to return from Manchester Stations (Piccadilly, Oxford Road, Victoria or Deansgate).
• Valid between any two stations on the route.
• Not available weekends
• No railcard discounts permitted
• Offer runs Monday 11th January – Friday 5th March 2010

Accompanied Child Offer

£2.00 flat fare day return, available as follows:

• To any child (5 – 15 years old) accompanied by an adult holding a valid Anytime Day Return (SDR). Off-Peak Day Return (CDR) or Northern Duo (NTH) ticket for the same journey. Maximum of two children per fare payning adult.
• Valid between any two stations on route stated.
• Saturday and Sundays only – not available Mondays to Fridays.
• No further discounts permitted.
• Offer runs Sunday 10th January – Saturday 6th March 2010. 

Northern Rail, Transdev and the East Lancashire Community Rail Partnership have agreed some changes to the East Lancashire Day Ranger, and these came into effect on January 2nd 2010. The time restriction has been lifted and the ticket is now available all day and along with the addition of two new bus routes, Blackburn to Chorley and Burnley to Todmorden, makes the ticket an even better way to spend a day out in East Lancashire! Full details of the changes can be found by clicking HERE.

Northern Rail have announced significant changes to their Duo tickets that will benefit customers travelling throughout Lancashire. Currently the Duo ticket is only available between two points on a line of route and the changes will allow customers to buy Duo tickets that cover more than one line of route.

Details of the changes can be seen below:

Clitheroe – Manchester Victoria via Darwen line to all stations on the East Lancashire line (Colne /Burnley Manchester Road – Blackburn section).

Clitheroe line (Clitheroe – Blackburn section) / East Lancashire line (Colne / Burnley Manchester Road – Preston) to all station on the Ormskirk branch.

Clitheroe line (Clitheroe – Blackburn section) to all stations as far as Preston.

Burnley Manchester Road to Manchester Victoria via Hebden Bridge

Ormskirk branch to Liverpool Stations via Ormskirk and Merseyrail Electrics

Kirkby, Rainford and Upholland to station via Wigan / Atherton to Manchester Victoria

Finally Blackpool South branch and Blackpool North, Poulton-le-Fylde & Kirkham & Wesham to

Blackburn and station beyond on the East Lancashire line – these are only valid in this direction

only.

New ‘eco lights’ part funded by the Designated Line Community Rail Development Fund, have now been installed at Brierfield and Rishton station car parks. The lights, powered by solar panels and small wind turbines, are part of the ‘Greening of the East Lancashire Line’ project.

The East Lancashire CRP has been successful in bidding for a grant towards preparing a Station Guide as part of its Station Travel Plan. The grant from the Designated Line Community Rail Development Fund amounts to £3250.00 and will be match funded from other sources, including the SusStations Interreg IVB European Project.