Blackpool South railway station serves the suburban south of the popular seaside resort of Blackpool, Lancashire, England. It is the terminus of the South Fylde Line 12+1⁄4 miles (19.7 km) west of Kirkham and Wesham by rail, though all services run through from Preston. It lies only a short walk from Blackpool Football Club's stadium at Bloomfield Road. The station is managed by Northern Trains, who operate all trains serving it. Blackpool South is located about 500 metres (1,600 ft) from Waterloo Road tram stop on the Blackpool Tramway.

Blackpool South
A Class 142 Pacer unit at Blackpool South waits to depart in 2011.
General information
Location	South Shore, Blackpool England
Coordinates	53.7983°N 3.0488°W / 53.7983; -3.0488
Grid reference	SD310340
Managed by	Northern Trains
Platforms	1
Other information
Station code	BPS
Classification	DfT category F1
Key dates
30 May 1903	Opened as Waterloo Road
17 March 1932[1]	Renamed Blackpool South
Passengers
2016/17	0.127 million
2017/18	0.117 million
2018/19	0.104 million
2019/20	0.100 million
2020/21	30,040
Location
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

History

The station was originally called Waterloo Road when it opened in 1903, at the junction with a newly built express Marton Line direct from Kirkham. It had four platforms [2] (two for each line at the junction) and soon became a busy station. Until November 1964, the line extended north from here to Blackpool Central. There were extensive sidings to accommodate the many excursion trains which came to Blackpool.

The Marton Line closed to regular traffic in 1965;[3] its track bed is now the road called Yeadon Way and the M55 motorway.

The station continued to handle through trains from Manchester, Liverpool and London until 1970, when these were all diverted to Blackpool North at the other end of town. It was then reduced to local status only, although it kept its signal box, two working platform faces and double track until 1982. The box was notable in that it was located on the opposite side of Waterloo Road bridge from the station and so could not see the tracks & platforms it controlled, instead being surrounded by the disused railway land once occupied by the main line & aforementioned sidings.[4] After the line was singled west of St Annes and the box was abolished, all trains used the former northbound platform and continue to do so to the present day. The substantial main buildings (booking office and waiting rooms) that formerly existed at street level were demolished in 1985.

For much of the 1970s and early 1980s nearly all services terminated at Kirkham, where passengers were forced to change if wanting to travel further east but from 1988 they were integrated with those on the East Lancashire Line, a timetable pattern that remained in place 7 days a week until May 2018.

Facilities

The station is unstaffed and only has basic amenities, namely a waiting shelter and bench seating. A touch screen ticket vending machine and timetable poster boards are available on the platform, with a payphone at the street-level station entrance. Train running information is provided via a digital CIS display and automated announcements. Step-free access is available via ramps from Waterloo Road and the car park. A regular bus service can be caught to Halfway House or Victoria hospital on the number 5, A Service to Blackpool town Centre can be caught on the number's 11 and 68, The 68 also heads to Preston, While the 11 go's to Lytham and St. Anne's on The Sea[5]

Services

The typical off-peak service from the station is:[6]

• 1tph (train per hour) to Preston

Monday - Friday the trains on the line do a Blackpool South - Preston - Colne - Ormskirk - Blackpool South circuit.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Blackpool South railway station.

• Train times and station information for Blackpool South railway station from National Rail

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Terminus		Northern Trains Blackpool South Branch Line		Blackpool Pleasure Beach
	Disused railways
Blackpool Central		Preston and Wyre Joint Railway Marton Line 1903–1965		Kirkham & Wesham
	Historical railways
Blackpool Central		Blackpool and Lytham Railway		Lytham Road