Topic summary
Ribble Valley line
The Ribble Valley line is a railway line that runs from Manchester Victoria through Blackburn, in Lancashire, to Hellifield in North Yorkshire. Regular passenger services normally run as far as Clitheroe, but occasional passenger services run the whole line through north Lancashire to Hellifield, where there are connections to the Settle–Carlisle and Bentham lines. The line passes over the distinctive 48-span Whalley Viaduct.
The line north of Blackburn was closed to a regular passenger service from September 1962, but remained open for freight, passenger diversions and the occasional DalesRail service. However, in 1994, services between Blackburn and Clitheroe were reinstated after a public campaign. Reopening the line for passengers between Clitheroe and Hellifield has been mentioned in some reports and newspapers to provide connections on the Settle Carlisle line, with the most recent being a business case for the proposal being granted government funds in 2020.