A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
Preston  | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Main entrance and train sheds. | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Preston, City of Preston England | ||||
| Coordinates | 53°45′22″N 2°42′26″W / 53.7560°N 2.7072°W | ||||
| Grid reference | SD534290 | ||||
| Managed by | Avanti West Coast | ||||
| Platforms | 9 (7 in public use) | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | PRE | ||||
| Classification | DfT category B | ||||
| Key dates | |||||
| 31 October 1838 | Opened | ||||
| 2 September 1850 | East Lancashire platforms added | ||||
| July 1880 | Rebuilt | ||||
| 1903 | New platforms added to west side | ||||
| 1913 | New platforms added to east side | ||||
| 1972 | East Lancashire platforms closed | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2018/19 |  4.646 million | ||||
| Interchange | 1.400 million | ||||
| 2019/20 |  4.937 million | ||||
| Interchange | 1.353 million | ||||
| 2020/21 | 1.156 million | ||||
| Interchange | 0.286 million | ||||
| 2021/22 | 4.165 million | ||||
| Interchange | 1.036 million | ||||
| 2022/23 | 4.237 million | ||||
| Interchange | 1.083 million | ||||
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Preston railway station in Preston, Lancashire, England, is an interchange railway station on the West Coast Main Line, half-way between London Euston and Glasgow Central (209 miles (336 km) from London Euston,[1] 194 mi (312 km) from Glasgow Central). It is served by Avanti West Coast, Northern Trains and TransPennine Express services, plus Caledonian Sleeper overnight services between London and Scotland. It is also served by the Calder Valley line to Leeds and York, and by branch lines to Blackpool North, Ormskirk (for Merseyrail services to Liverpool Central) and Colne.
The North Union Railway opened a station on the site in 1838. It was extended in 1850, with new platforms under the separate management of the East Lancashire Railway, and by 1863 London–Scotland trains stopped here to allow passengers to eat in the station dining room. The current station was built in 1880 and extended in 1903 and 1913, when it had 15 platforms. A free buffet for servicemen was provided during both World Wars. The East Lancashire platforms were demolished in the 1970s as connecting lines closed.
As well as intercity trains to London Euston, Birmingham New Street, Manchester Piccadilly, Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley, the station is served by local trains to other parts of Lancashire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Yorkshire.
Station layout and amenities
The main entrance to the station is at the bottom of the station approach, a ramp off the bridge that carries Fishergate over the railway. The ticket office is located within the small concourse, which provides direct access, down the ramp, to the intercity platforms 3 and 4. There are footbridges on either side of this ramp to all other platforms. The eastern footbridge ends at an alternative entrance to the station on Butler Street, giving closer access to Preston city centre and the station car park. There are two subways, one of which provides step-free access to all but one platforms in use at the station; the second, adjacent to the passenger subway, was formerly a freight subway and only had access by staff operated freight lifts; these were converted to passenger operated lifts in the 1990s, giving full step-free access to all platforms for wheelchairs, trolleys and pushchairs. There is another entrance serving the station car park at the south end of platform 7.
The island forming platforms 3 and 4 is a very wide island platform with a long series of buildings. Inside these buildings are services and amenities such as a newsagent and several food outlets, including a licensed restaurant. There are also toilets and a large waiting room. A small travel centre on platform 3, near the ramp, is operated by Avanti West Coast staff to give information for passengers on the platform. In addition to these main amenities, there is a small coffee shop outlet on platform 4, as well as an additional shop on platforms 1 and 2.
Passenger information systems were updated during 2007 and now use dot matrix display screens. Preston retained a manual Tannoy system until 30 January 2017, a rarity amongst the larger stations in the UK.[citation needed] An automated announcement system was introduced. In 2009, the station was identified as one of the ten worst category B interchange stations for mystery shopper assessment of fabric and environment, and was set to receive a share of £50 million funding for improvements prior to a public spending review initiated in 2010.[2][3]
Services
There are currently six through and two bay platforms in use at Preston, with two more available for emergency use. All lines are electrified, allowing any train to use any platform.
Caledonian Sleeper
- 1 train per day to London Euston
- 1tpd to Aberdeen, Fort William and Inverness (departs as a single train and divides at Edinburgh into three portions for each destination)
