Padiham railway station

Padiham railway station in Station Road, Padiham, Lancashire, England was on a branch line (usually known as the Great Harwood loop) of the East Lancashire Line from Burnley to Blackburn.

Padiham
General information
Location	Padiham, Burnley, Lancashire England
Coordinates	53.7987°N 2.3166°W / 53.7987; -2.3166
Platforms	2
Other information
Status	Disused
History
Original company	Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
Pre-grouping	London and North Western Railway
Post-grouping	London, Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
15 October 1877	Opened[1]
2 December 1957	Closed to regular passenger services[1]
17 June 1968	closed completely

Looking south towards the railway bridge over the River Calder between Padiham railway station and the line to Padiham power station and Simonstone. The iron footbridge links Memorial park with the lower section in Park Road. On the east bank are the remains of Padiham Gas works (date:2008)

1948 Ordnance Survey map showing location of Padiham station and local rail connections with Rose Grove railway station and Hapton railway station on the main line (both still open) and Simonstone railway station (closed) to the west

History

The line between Padiham and Rose Grove opened in 1875. West of Padiham it opened two years later as a result of difficulties in constructing the embankments between Great Harwood and Simonstone.

It was closed to regular passenger services on 2 December 1957 but occasional special trains operated until completely closed in 1968. Subsequently the station was later demolished. The railway line from Burnley to Simonstone was retained for continuing deliveries of coal to Padiham power station until the power station closed in 1993.

The nearest station for Padiham is now at Hapton, about 2 miles (3 km) south of the town.

Greenway

Lancashire County Council began work in 2005 to convert part of the line to a footpath/bridleway/cycle path to be called Padiham Greenway. The route stretches from Mollywood Lane, Rose Grove to Padiham Memorial Park and is about 1.5 miles (2 km) long.^[2] The Greenway was officially opened on 24 June 2010. It is known by locals as the old railway.

It links to the River Calder Greenway and the towpath of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal to form a circular route and also has a branch to Gawthorpe Hall a National Trust property in Padiham. The route also links to the East Lancashire line at Hapton, Rose Grove and Burnley Barracks.^[3]

References

1. Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.
2. "Padiham Greenway with maps and pictures at the Lancashire County Council website". Archived from the original on 23 December 2012. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
3. "Padiham Greenway description at Community Rail Lancashire website". Archived from the original on 7 March 2012. Retrieved 15 January 2011.

Preceding station		Disused railways		Following station
Simonstone Line and station closed		Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Great Harwood Loop		Rose Grove Station open