Lancashire County Council Service Changes

[St Helens Rider]

RE: Lancashire County Council Service Changes
January's changes including major changes in Blackpool:


Lancaster services
Service 6 Morecambe – Westgate
Service 6A Morecambe – Westgate – Lancaster
Service 6B/6C Morecambe – Westgate – Bare – Morecambe

From 15 January 2024, utilising funding from HM Government through the Bus Service Improvement Plan Plus Scheme, Stagecoach, in partnership with Lancashire County Council, will revise the route and timetable as follows:

Service 6A will continue to operate between Morecambe, Westgate and Lancaster.

Service 6 will continue to operate between Morecambe and Westgate

New Services 6B/6C will be introduced merging certain Service 6 journeys and Service 33 to offer a Morecambe area circular service. The new services will link across all the outer areas of Morecambe, Bare and Westgate, incorporating Service 33.

Service 6B will operate anti-clockwise from Morecambe and Westgate, extending through Branksome to cover the Service 33 route through Bare back to Morecambe.

Service 6C will operate the same route but in clockwise direction from Morecambe, serving Bare before continuing to Branksome and Westgate back to Morecambe.

New Services 6B/6C will each run generally every hour Monday to Saturday, offering more journeys for Bare as well as linking to those shopping and leisure opportunities off Westgate.
Service 33 Morecambe – Bare Circular

From 15 January 2024 this service will be withdrawn and amalgamated within new Services 6B/6C, as detailed above.
Ribble Valley services
Service 22 Clitheroe – Whalley – Blackburn – Royal Blackburn Hospital – Shadsworth

From 7 January 2024, The Blackburn Bus Company will revise the timetable, with minor adjustments to some evening journeys to improve reliability.
Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre services
Blackpool Transport Service Amendments (Blackpool Transport Leaflets)

From 7 January 2024, Blackpool Transport will introduce a major revision of their network, with changes to running times, changes to route numbers and frequencies but all roads that currently have a bus on now will continue to be served. There is an increased amount of interworking to improve efficiency and help with the future introduction of electric buses.
Service 1 Fleetwood – Cleveleys – Blackpool
Service 1A Cleveleys – Blackpool – St.Annes

Service 1 will temporarily drop the seasonal Cleveleys to St Annes extension, now named the service 1A, during the winter. Service 1 will continue to run hourly between Fleetwood and its new final stop at Blackpool North Pier. Together, the will make a 30-minute frequency through the summer.
Service 3 Cleveleys – Blackpool – Mereside
Service 3A Cleveleys Park – Cleveleys – Blackpool – Mereside

Service 3 will now not travel to Cleveleys Park, starting its journey at Cleveleys Crescent. The new Service 3A will be covering this area and then continue to Mereside along what is currently the service 4 route. Between Service 3 and 3A, there will be services running up to every 15-minutes, operating between Cleveleys, Bispham, Blackpool and Mereside. The service 3 will finish earlier than it does now but the 3A will continue into the evenings.
Service 5 Poulton – Victoria Hospital – Blackpool – Halfway House
Service 5A Staining – Victoria Hospital – Blackpool – Halfway House
Service 5B Blackpool Zoo – Victoria Hospital – Blackpool – Halfway House
Service 5C Knott End – Poulton – Victoria Hospital – Blackpool

This new group of services are the most significant route changes, enhancing connectivity and clearer choices. It provides an increased frequency, more journey options and expanded links between Blackpool and the wider Fylde Coast.

Service 5 will operate from Halfway House to Victoria Hospital as current, before extending along, and replacing, the former Service 2 route to Poulton up to every 30 minutes, giving a Poulton to Blackpool/South Shore link.

New Service 5A will connect South Shore to Staining, following the usual Service 5 route from Halfway House to Blackpool Town Centre, then replacing the old Service 15 route to Staining operating up to every 60 minutes.

New Service 5B will be a new link from South Shore to Blackpool Town Centre and the Zoo, running from Halfway House to Victoria Hospital, before heading to the Zoo up to every 60mins.

Service 5C will replace Service 2C from Blackpool to Knott End. As part of the Service 5 group, it will provide a unified route to Victoria Hospital, offering increased frequency and options running up to every 40 minutes to Knott End. This change in frequency from 30 minutes to 40 minutes is aimed to significantly improve reliability along the route without impacting peak-time journeys.

Together, this new Service 5 group will operate up to every 15 minutes between Halfway House, through Blackpool Town Centre, to Victoria Hospital.
Service 6 Grange Park – Blackpool – Mereside

Service 6 will be enhanced with more frequent departures running up to every 20 minutes. The route will be extended, connecting to the DWP offices at Peel Park more frequently and also an hourly extension to Whitehills Business Park.
Services 7/7A Cleveleys – Blackpool

Service 7 will be revised to operate between Cleveleys and Blackpool, concluding its journey in Blackpool Town Centre and offering a smooth transition to new Service 11A (see below) for those venturing to Lytham. There will be no requirement to change bus or buy a new ticket, the service will continue for the next leg of the journey.

New Service 7A will replace Service 9 and continues to operate between Cleveleys and Blackpool via Bispham and Layton.

Together, this new Service 7 group will operate up to at least every 15 minutes between Cleveleys and Blackpool and continuing up to every 30 minutes to Lytham, as Service 11A.
Service 11 Lytham – St.Annes – Blackpool
Service 11A Lytham – St.Annes – Blackpool
Service 11B Lytham – St.Annes – Blackpool

Service 11 will operate its regular route, with a revised timetable for more efficiency, running up to every 30 minutes. The new times will improve interworking along busier areas, with other services such as the Service 11 group, for a more predictable and reliable network.

New Service 11A will replace Service 7 between Blackpool and Lytham, and seamlessly continue to be linked with Service 7 (see below) for travel between Cleveleys and Blackpool. Service 11A will operate the previous Service 7 route up to Starr Gate, and then extending onto Lytham, just like Service 11 every 30 minutes. This means more travel options and the regular convenience of staying on one bus for the entire journey.

The 11 and 11A give an increased combined frequency from Blackpool to Lytham of up every 15 minutes.

New Service 11B will be renumbered from Service 17 and become part of the new Service 11 group. This service will follow the same route as previous Service 17, with a slight adjustment in the timetable for better efficiency, now departing up to every 40 minutes.

Together, this new Service 11 group will operate between Blackpool Town Centre and Lytham St.Annes, with a combined frequency of at least every 12 minutes.
Service 14 Fleetwood – Thornton – Carleton – Blackpool

The timetable will be revised following customer feedback, adjusting times to improve service reliability. Additionally, the frequency during Monday to Friday peak, school and college times will be enhanced to up to every 15 minutes.
Service 18 Blackpool - Mereside via South Shore, Airport

The timetable will be revised, adjusting times to improve service reliability.
West Lancashire services
Service 375/385 Southport – Ormskirk – Skelmersdale – Wigan

From 21 January 2024, Arriva will revise the timetable, with adjustments to some journeys to improve reliability.
Service 395 Skelmersdale – Wigan

From 21 January 2024, Arriva will withdraw this service. Services 375/385 provide an alternative service across the whole route.
Service 311 Ormskirk – Skelmersdale – Wrightington LCC Leaflet 15
Service 312 Ormskirk – Burscough – Skelmersdale – Rainford

From 15 January 2024, Lancashire County Council will revise the route and timetable, with a couple of minor adjustments to some Monday to Friday journeys following customer feedback.

The revised Monday to Friday journeys are as follows:

0624 Service 312 journey from Burscough to Rainford will depart at 0600 and operate up to 20 minutes earlier throughout;

0700 Service 311 journey from Ormskirk to Wrightington Hospital will depart at 0655 and operate up to 5 minutes earlier throughout;

0729 Service 312 journey from Rainford to Ormskirk will depart at 0706 and operate up to 20 minutes earlier throughout;

0758 Service 311 journey from Wrightington to Ormskirk will depart at 0753 and operate up to 5 minutes earlier throughout;

There will also be a minor route amendment in the Hall Green area as Service 311 will operate around the Mayfield Drive estate instead of Service 312.

Preston Bus Ltd continue to operate these services on behalf of Lancashire County Council.
Chorley services
Service 119 Chorley – Buckshaw Village – Leyland – Penwortham – Preston

From 28 January 2024, Lancashire County Council will revise the route and timetable, adjusting the service between Chorley Town Centre and Chorley Hospital to operate direct via A6, no longer serving Astley Village.

Astley Village will now be served by the extension of Service 127 route through to Chorley Hospital.

The timetable will be revised only between Chorley and Chorley Hospital. Any customers from Astley Village travelling through to Leyland will be able to connect at Chorley Hospital on to Services 114 & 119.

RS Tyrer will continue to operate the service on behalf of Lancashire County Council.
Service 127 Chorley Hospital – Astley Village – Chorley – Adlington – Middlebrook

From 28 January 2024, utilising funding from HM Government through the Bus Service Improvement Plan Plus Scheme, Stagecoach, in partnership with Lancashire County Council, will revise the route and timetable extending the service through Astley Village to Chorley Hospital.

The extended service will provide a direct link from Adlington and Lower Adlington to Chorley Hospital, together with maintaining a service through Astley Village.

Additional journeys will be provided, with the service operating generally hourly throughout Monday to Saturday daytime. The Monday to Saturday evening and Sunday short journeys between Chorley and Astley Village will continue to operate and be renumbered Service 127 instead of Service 119.
Service 362 Chorley – Coppull – Standish – Wigan

From 28 January 2024, Go North West will revise the timetable, adjusting some journey times. There will be no change to departure times from Chorley, the amendments are partly to improve reliability by redistributing running time into layover at either end of the route. There is also an extension to journeys starting and ending at Standish to extend slightly further along the route to Pepper Lane.
Hyndburn services
Service 6/7 Blackburn – Great Harwood – Accrington – Oswaldtwistle – Blackburn

From 7 January 2024, utilising funding from HM Government through the Bus Service Improvement Plan Plus Scheme, The Blackburn Bus Company, in partnership with Lancashire County Council, will introduce a number of daily evening enhancements, extending service operation until around 11pm Monday to Saturday and 10pm Sunday throughout the whole route.

The additional and extended journeys are as follows:

Monday to Saturday

Service 6 at 2303 from Blackburn – Great Harwood – Accrington

Sundays

Service 6 at 1903, 2003, 2103 & 2203 from Blackburn – Great Harwood – Accrington

Service 6 at 2240 from Accrington – Oswaldtwistle – Blackburn

Service 7 at 1838, 1938, 2038 and 2138 from Accrington – Great Harwood – Blackburn