Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council has partnered with UK’s Network Rail to propose construction of a new section of railway track at Darwen.
The partnership aims to improve and run more trains between Blackburn and Manchester and the £13.35m project has already received support from local leaders.
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Council leader Kate Hollern said: "This agreement is the culmination of years of planning and negotiations between the council, Network Rail and their partners.
"This is an important step towards dramatically improving connectivity between Pennine Lancashire and Greater Manchester, opening up opportunities for investment in the area as we become more accessible for people working in Manchester."
Construction work on the new section is expected to begin in 2015 with the first additional services to start from December 2016. Design works related to the project are currently under way.
The new railway section is subject to agreement between the UK Department of Transport and the franchise operator. If realised, it will allow an additional off-peak service with two trains running every hour between Blackburn and Manchester throughout the day.
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By GlobalDataImage: Jack Straw MP, Nick Spall from Network Rail, council leader Kate Hollern and Jake Berry MP show their support for rail improvements between Blackburn and Manchester. Photo: courtesy of Network Rail.
