Scrapped services, timetable changes and new routes – all the Preston, South Ribble and Chorley bus changes planned

Bus services in and around Preston are seeing timetable and route changes from the end of March – as well as the ending of some services and new operators taking on routes.

Preston Bus, Stagecoach and independently operated services will be amended in a host of ranges unveiled by Lancashire County Council.

As Blog Preston reported back in December last year, Preston Bus has lost the 45 and 46 route serving Broughton, Whittingham, Woodplumpton, Longridge, Blackburn and Royal Preston Hospital. Vision Bus is to now run the service, there’s no route or timetable changes.

Preston Bus has confirmed the following changes are to take place to their 6, 8, 16, 19, 23, 31, 35, 43, 44, 48 services – which were consulted on back in January.

The 6 serving Brookfield up to the James Hall Distribution Centre will adjust its timetable and include a later Saturday afternoon journey times as well as the Sunday service running 9am to 8pm.

The 8 running between Preston and Moor Nook is seeing timetable adjustments as well as reducing the number of Monday to Saturday early morning journeys, reducing Sunday early morning and afternoon journeys and withdrawing any Sunday late evening services.

The 16 between Preston and Farringdon park is to see Sunday early morning and late evening journeys reduced, as well as scrapping the Monday to Friday extended journeys through to Preston Railway Station to allow for additional peak time journeys.

There’s numbering changes for the routes between Royal Preston Hospital and Portway Park and Ride and Lea and Larches. The 19A is becoming the 19S on Monday to Friday mornings when it acts as a shuttle bus and the 20 will become the 19A.

The 23 bus between Preston, the hospital and Fulwood Asda is seeing timetable changes.

The 31 bus running to Savick and Lea will continue to see Monday to Saturday evening and Sunday journeys operated on behalf of Lancashire County Council with the wider timetable adjusted.

The 35 to Tanterton is seeing timetable changes.

The 43,44 and 48 service Cottam, Ingol and Holme Slack are seeing changes.

Lancashire County Council will revise the Sunday route and timetables of these services, extending Service 44 from Ingol through to Cottam, to interwork with Service 43 to double the number of journeys through the Cottam area, and extending Service 48 from Fulwood Asda through to Royal Preston Hospital.

Preston Bus will continue to operate these services on behalf of Lancashire County Council.

Over the border in South Ribble and Chorley then as previously reported two new bus services begin serving Leyland, Wigan, Croston and Longton.

There’s also a number of timetable adjustments happening on a number of other services.

The 112 which runs to Bamber Bridge, Clayton Brook, Leyland and Midge Hall will see revisions to the route and timetable – now terminating at the eastern end of the new Centurion Village at Midge Hall and amending the route through Leyland Town Centre.

The county council said: “As the new Centurion Village develops the service will be further adapted to serve more of this emerging community. The section through Wymott, Croston and Bretherton will now be served by new Service 115 – see below. Another minor route amendments are in Clayton Brook, adjusted to serve A6 Preston Road between Walton Summit and Clayton Brook, and then operate to the same clockwise circular route looping around Clayton Brook Road and through Clayton Brook village both towards Preston and Leyland.

“This service will continue to operate between Preston and Midge Hall via Frenchwood, Walton-le-Dale, Bamber Bridge, Walton Summit, Clayton Brook, Clayton Green and Leyland.

“The service will still operate generally every hour during Monday to Saturday daytime and combine with Service 114 to operate every half hour between Clayton Brook and Leyland. Holmeswood Coaches Ltd will continue to operate this service on behalf of Lancashire County Council.”

The 114 – between Clayton Brook, Leyland, Penwortham and Chorley/Preston is to partially replace the 199 service.

The county council said: “To facilitate the extension to Preston, the route through Leyland will be adjusted between Clayton-le-Wood and Tesco to operate via A49 and Church Road, before continuing past the Gables and then as the current Service 119 route to Preston. Vice versa in the opposite direction. This will maintain the cross Leyland public transport links between wider areas of Leyland with Chorley. Another minor route amendment is in Clayton Green, adjusted to serve Wood End Road in both directions, no longer serving Back Lane, with new stops installed on Sheep Hill Lane.

“This service will operate between Chorley and Preston via Chorley Hospital, Whittle-le-Woods, Clayton Brook, Clayton-le-Woods, Leyland, Farington Moss, Whitestake, Penwortham and Broadgate.

“The service will operate generally every hour during Monday to Saturday daytime and combine with Service 112 to operate every half hour between Clayton Brook and Leyland. RS Tyrer Ltd will operate this service on behalf of Lancashire County Council.”

The 117 between Chorley and Weld Bank has a revised timetable to run generally every hour Monday to Saturday daytime and continues to be operated by Vision Bus.

The 118 between Chorley and Lower Burgh sees changes to its timetable to sync it with the 114 and again is every hour Monday to Saturday daytime.

The 119 service has been scrapped and replaced by the new 115 service as well as the extension to the 114.

Stagecoach is also withdrawing the 12 service between Preston and Longton/New Longton and replacing it with the 115.

The 111 between Lostock Hall, Leyland and Moss Side has been replaced by the 110 service.

And the 337 and 347 services between Chorley and Ormskirk and Southport serving the villages of Croston, Eccleston, Mawdesley, Banks and Burscough are now to be operated by Vision Bus after Stagecoach lost the service.

All changes listed above come into place on Sunday 30 March.

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