Preston Station - really poor and needs urgent improvement

[Tezza1978]

Right, having travelled through this station again today for a day trip to Blackpool Airshow with my 8 year old lad from our home in Warrington, and having another long wait it just reminds me of how rubbish it currently is and how it desperately needs improvement, so am having a mini rant. Given its importance as a city centre interchange its absolutely woeful currently:

• the toilets are inadequate, very dirty and smelly. Nowhere near sufficient for a station of this size. One of the worst things about the station
• Multiple flickering and broken overhead lights - unpleasant to stand under, worse for photosensitive people
• no step free access to platform 1 - but heavily used for Blackpool services
• the unused RM platforms look really scruffy and unkempt with overgrown bits
• tiny , always packed full and scruffy waiting room. Majorly insufficient seating on platforms.
• the station catering facilities are very poor and in particular their operating hours are laughable. At 8.30pm on a busy summer Sunday, where the station was very busy - every coffee shop, catering outlet and the pub were closed for the night. Absolutely baffling. This isnt a small backwater village on a barely used branch line, its a major city centre interchange with many passengers heading to Manchester Airport for flights today. Trade would have been brisk if anything was open!
• no staff visible, revenue protection is clearly ignored here and with lots of delays tonight communication (the lack of) was pathetic

Is this station run by Network Rail or say Northern? Are there any plans to improve things here? Because currently its a station I will pretty much avoid spending any layover/waiting time as far as reasonably possible!

 

[D6130]

Right, having travelled through this station again today for a day trip to Blackpool Airshow with my 8 year old lad from our home in Warrington, and having another long wait it just reminds me of how rubbish it currently is and how it desperately needs improvement, so am having a mini rant. Given its importance as a city centre interchange its absolutely woeful currently:

• the toilets are inadequate, very dirty and smelly. Nowhere near sufficient for a station of this size. One of the worst things about the station
• Multiple flickering and broken overhead lights - unpleasant to stand under, worse for photosensitive people
• no step free access to platform 1 - but heavily used for Blackpool services
• the unused RM platforms look really scruffy and unkempt with overgrown bits
• tiny , always packed full and scruffy waiting room. Majorly insufficient seating on platforms.
• the station catering facilities are very poor and in particular their operating hours are laughable. At 8.30pm on a busy summer Sunday, where the station was very busy - every coffee shop, catering outlet and the pub were closed for the night. Absolutely baffling. This isnt a small backwater village on a barely used branch line, its a major city centre interchange with many passengers heading to Manchester Airport for flights today. Trade would have been brisk if anything was open!
• no staff visible, revenue protection is clearly ignored here and with lots of delays tonight communication (the lack of) was pathetic

Is this station run by Network Rail or say Northern? Are there any plans to improve things here? Because currently its a station I will pretty much avoid spending any layover/waiting time as far as reasonably possible!

The station is managed by Avanti West Coast. I agree with many of your observations, but I would point out that there is step-free access to and from platforms 1 & 2 via the passenger lifts and their associated subway.

 

[pokemonsuper9]

While there are some valid points there, there's a couple I'd like to counter

no step free access to platform 1 - but heavily used for Blackpool services

As per post #2, this is just completely untrue, lifts are present to all platforms.

the unused RM platforms look really scruffy and unkempt with overgrown bits

They're unused, I'm not sure what you expect from them, why waste money on the irrelevant? Personally I'd bring it back into regular use to avoid having to deal with moving the Blackpool South train empty but that'd cost too much for relatively limited benefit.

the station catering facilities are very poor and in particular their operating hours are laughable. At 8.30pm on a busy summer Sunday, where the station was very busy - every coffee shop, catering outlet and the pub were closed for the night. Absolutely baffling. This isnt a small backwater village on a barely used branch line, its a major city centre interchange with many passengers heading to Manchester Airport for flights today. Trade would have been brisk if anything was open!

It's in a city centre, just pop outside into the shopping centre instead of being ripped off at the station.
If it was profitable surely the private company that operates them would have staffed them?

 

[pr1]

Preston is my local station and I agree with some parts of the OP's observations.

The P1/2 access issue has been brought up elsewhere on the forum recently. There is no ideal situation: expanding the footbridge is impossible, replacing the stairs with a ramp etc is highly unlikely, and the subway steps would be difficult if not impossible to replace with a ramp too. As said above, there is a lift to 1/2.

Catering etc is a difficult nut to crack. I wouldn't use any of the in-station options because they're so expensive (the bar is perhaps the most expensive in the city!). The Old Vic opposite the station for drinks, any one of a clutch of cafe's etc along Fishergate for food, that's my suggestion.

I'll say this: Lancaster station has Tite & Locke, and I can't see any reason why Preston couldn't have similar. It's all down to risk and taking a shot, and maybe both options aren't in great number right now.

 

[Towers]

Agree about the disused area; when I last passed through there were a couple of blokes in plain civvies ambling around on those platforms, I presume they were connected to a freight or Pway operation who seem to have premises over there but it certainly didn’t give a very good impression to see them wandering about with no apparent uniform, hi viz or lanyards of any sort, particularly with an empty unit that seemed to be birthed over there.

Preston always seems to be rammed, I’m sure it’d happily receive some investment but as usual the pot is always empty!

 

[yorksrob]

I quite like Preston from an architectural point of view, however some of the facilities aren't the best. Early closure of buffets is endemic across the network.

That's why a station pub like the Tite & Locke is so handy - although these usually seem to have independant access from the outside. Don't think that would be possible at Preston.

To be fair to it, the station bar did have a couple of drinkable bottled ales last time I was in there.

 

[Sun Chariot]

If it's any consolation @Tezza1978 , other than the addition of those lifts for step-free access, the rest of it sounds very familiar to my memory of it, back in 1989 when I started my degree course at Preston...

 

[Acathater]

The toilets were replaced / refurbished only a year ago

 

[Pinus contorta]

The toilets were replaced / refurbished only a year ago

Yea this bit of the list was a bit puzzled by. They renovated these and then the ones at Lancaster. It was a bit of a nuisance going out to the temporary ones. But they seemed fine when I used them last week.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

My local station since 1966. Yes could do with improvements but as others have said pop out for beer coffee or food. No ticket barriers so very easy. Great Japanese restaurant very close.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Yea this bit of the list was a bit puzzled by. They renovated these and then the ones at Lancaster. It was a bit of a nuisance going out to the temporary ones. But they seemed fine when I used them last week.

Yep, I don't see why there's the comments about the toilets. They were never that bad and they've just been done up.

P1/2 probably need to be rebuilt wider. There is room to do so by sacrificing one of the through lines on that side, they are barely used.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Yep, I don't see why there's the comments about the toilets. They were never that bad and they've just been done up.

I totally agree.

P1/2 probably need to be rebuilt wider. There is room to do so by sacrificing one of the through lines on that side, they are barely used.

"Platform 7" closest to the carpark and even platform 6 and 3 and 4 believe it or not are often used as "through lines". So it is possible to widen Platform 1 and 2.

Sorry - we are drifting slightly OT.

 

[The Planner]

I totally agree.

"Platform 7" closest to the carpark and even platform 6 and 3 and 4 believe it or not are often used as "through lines". So it is possible to widen Platform 1 and 2.

Sorry - we are drifting slightly OT.

7 isn't passenger rated. That would be the likely easiest to do of all the suggestions.

 

[pokemonsuper9]

So it is possible to widen Platform 1 and 2.

The through line being mentioned is the freight only line between platform 1 and the parcels platform.
I'm not sure how much that line gets utilised, or how much of its use could be diverted to the parcels platform without causing any issues.

 

[The Planner]

The through line being mentioned is the freight only line between platform 1 and the parcels platform.
I'm not sure how much that line gets utilised, or how much of its use could be diverted to the parcels platform without causing any issues.

Its not quite as simple, the up and down goods line converge along the platform, the parcels platform is a loop. Nothing will happen until its decided on when Preston gets re-signalled, as that will drive any remodelling and certainly some rationalisation.

 

[Andrew1395]

When I started my career at Preston Area Managers in the mid 1980s, one of my Area Managers big disappointments was the failure of BRB to demolish and rebuild Preston. He thought a new station building on fishergate with a commercial building on a raft over the platforms would be the way to finance and provide a better customer experience. No doubt many would disagree, (looking at the final efforts at Rugby, etc), but there does come a point when a major investment is needed at places like Crewe, Preston and others.

 

[Bletchleyite]

When I started my career at Preston Area Managers in the mid 1980s, one of my Area Managers big disappointments was the failure of BRB to demolish and rebuild Preston. He thought a new station building on fishergate with a commercial building on a raft over the platforms would be the way to finance and provide a better customer experience. No doubt many would disagree, (looking at the final efforts at Rugby, etc), but there does come a point when a major investment is needed at places like Crewe, Preston and others.

I'm fairly sure it's listed so that wouldn't be a possibility.

 

[Acathater]

The through line being mentioned is the freight only line between platform 1 and the parcels platform.
I'm not sure how much that line gets utilised, or how much of its use could be diverted to the parcels platform without causing any issues.

Only ever seen it used for parking. Problem with it is any freight heading north would have to cross/block platforms 1 & 2 and they're busy.
Any freight heading north goes through on P3 or sometimes P4

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 10 Aug 2026 ==

7 isn't passenger rated. That would be the likely easiest to do of all the suggestions.

It's been getting a fair bit of use recently for parking during disruption. TPE and Northern sets regularly get dumped there when things go wrong

 

[najaB]

I'm fairly sure it's listed so that wouldn't be a possibility.

While listed status is a significant impediment to redevelopment, it doesn't make it impossible.

 

[Bletchleyite]

While listed status is a significant impediment to redevelopment, it doesn't make it impossible.

It makes completely knocking down a building very difficult, though I agree not impossible if e.g. it is in very poor repair and dangerous (which it isn't). It wouldn't necessarily prevent a St Pancras style transformation, perhaps by adding some sort of mezzanine and removing the ramp, just as it hasn't prevented the addition of the barely used carbuncle at the new entrance by the car park.

 

[Buzby]

I thought the best plus point was no gateline? The adjacent shopping centre (McDonald’s & Standard-priced coffees) or across to the pub or a food joint very close up the street if time allows. Indeed it’s one of my favourite waypoints for a break of journey.

 

[najaB]

It makes completely knocking down a building very difficult, though I agree not impossible if e.g. it is in very poor repair and dangerous (which it isn't). It wouldn't necessarily prevent a St Pancras style transformation, perhaps by adding some sort of mezzanine and removing the ramp, just as it hasn't prevented the addition of the barely used carbuncle at the new entrance by the car park.

If anything, the fact that it's a through station makes it more difficult to redevelop/rebuild than at a terminus like St Pancras.

FWIW, Preston Station is (only) Grade II listed so it wouldn't be impossible to gain listed building consent if there was a sufficiently good case. I doubt they'd be able to get it for a plonking a featureless cube office-block on top of a Birmingham New Street style dungeon, but a proposal for a landmark building that made the station the heart of a city centre redevelopment might well get approval.

 

[furnessvale]

When I started my career at Preston Area Managers in the mid 1980s, one of my Area Managers big disappointments was the failure of BRB to demolish and rebuild Preston. He thought a new station building on fishergate with a commercial building on a raft over the platforms would be the way to finance and provide a better customer experience. No doubt many would disagree, (looking at the final efforts at Rugby, etc), but there does come a point when a major investment is needed at places like Crewe, Preston and others.

The commercial building on a raft over the platforms would have been the perfect location for the new bus station all those years ago, with access via Butler St tunnel to the bottom of Corporation St and even potential access to the south via a bus route over the old East Lancs bridge.

Sadly, land at the rear of Church St won the day. Rumour at the time said that particular land was owned by several councillors but I couldn't possibly comment.

Either way, the opportunity for a major transport interchange was lost.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

7 isn't passenger rated. That would be the likely easiest to do of all the suggestions.

Fair enough. Seal up the carbuncle while we are at it!

 

[snail]

I thought the best plus point was no gateline? The adjacent shopping centre (McDonald’s & Standard-priced coffees) or across to the pub or a food joint very close up the street if time allows. Indeed it’s one of my favourite waypoints for a break of journey.

McDonalds shuts at 6pm (5pm on Sundays), so worse than the station offerings. The newish Tesco Express across the road from Butler St is however open until 11pm every day.

One plus point about the catering is that Starbucks and Upper Crust usually have plenty of Too Good To Go offers if you're there at the right time!

 

[Tezza1978]

As I've had some interesting and good comments on my original post I'll add a few extra bits! :

• Wasn't aware that there was a lift to P1 as have only used the stairs. Not really a major issue now my kids are 8 and 11, but I remember struggling over the stairs with a buggy/my wife a few years ago as not aware of an alternative route. Fair dos I hold my hands up here but its not an immediately obvious step free route clearly.
• the toilets were - filthy - and wet last night - appreciate its a summer weekend and busy with the airshow/Rebellion punk festival but still poor. They didnt look particularly refurbished on first glance, even the slightly "on the cheap" Euston toilet refurb looks far more refurbed than those. Also I think there needs to be an extra set elsewhere as numbers on that platform not sufficient for the size of the station
• I get the points that there are facilities/cafes/pubs outside but when travelling with kids/if limited mobility/if only have say 45 mins its really cutting too fine time wise to go somewhere else. I have been to the pub opposite the station on a previous visit but was on my own then with no bags. The whole point of station catering is its ideal for families /those of limited mobility/with bags/those who only have a free 30 or 45 mins to spare for a coffee/sandwich/pint of lager. There were LOADS of people with suitcases heading for the airport who would not want to schlep up the road when unfamiliar with the area. Not even having a cafe open at 8.30pm on Sunday in summer seems bizarre. Appreciate the demand would be different on a weeknight or a Sunday night in early January....so...flex the hours?
• the actual architecture of the station is nice and appreciate its listed. None of the improvements ive mentioned would require major structural changes that would be impeded by its listed status
• the tattiness of overgrown RM platforms/ multiple flickering and broken overhead lights would not cost the earth to fix. Basic maintenance really.
• Crewe - while having maintenance issues of its own at least has catering facilities open later at night and a much better waiting room, also a 1st class lounge of course......

 

[Kite159]

Preston is a lot better since that Tesco Express opened close by, better than paying over the odds from the station shop. Much better than Warrington, or even Lancaster

 

[Lemmy99uk]

When the open golf was on at Lytham in 2012, Northern operated a shuttle service on the Blackpool South line from the parcels platform at Preston.
Was some kind of special working authorised or would that be easy to do today?

 

[Acathater]

When the open golf was on at Lytham in 2012, Northern operated a shuttle service on the Blackpool South line from the parcels platform at Preston.
Was some kind of special working authorised or would that be easy to do today?

I'm not convinced passengers would be allowed access to the part of the underpass which runs to that platform: it looks a bit dark and gloomy....

 

[Bletchleyite]

Preston is a lot better since that Tesco Express opened close by, better than paying over the odds from the station shop. Much better than Warrington, or even Lancaster

Lancaster has a Tesco Express and a Subway not wildly further away than both of those are in Preston. Been to both from there quite often

Lancaster however isn't a major regional interchange.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 10 Aug 2026 ==

I'm not convinced passengers would be allowed access to the part of the underpass which runs to that platform: it looks a bit dark and gloomy....

It's certainly been done a few times in the past. It's doubled as "platform 7" on a few occasions when the roof has fallen down, a not uncommon occurrence.