Rail passengers using Blackburn and Darwen stations are seeing fewer cancellations and less crowding on some services, according to the latest update from Northern after months of pressure from Blackburn with Darwen Council.
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The council says Northern’s performance has improved in recent months, with more reliable journeys, fewer cancelled trains and a reduction in overcrowding on routes used by local commuters, students and shift workers.
At a recent meeting with council leader Cllr Phil Riley, Northern shared figures showing cancellations have dropped sharply compared with last year.
Between 1 and 28 February 2026, just 2.2% of trains on routes through Greater Manchester, including the Clitheroe line, were cancelled. Northern said its cancellation rate had halved year on year.
That matters for passengers travelling to work, school and hospital shifts, where last-minute disruption has been a regular complaint.
There has also been progress on train capacity. Northern has been restoring four-carriage trains on several routes after unexpected faults earlier this year forced the temporary use of shorter two-car units.
Those shorter trains had added to overcrowding on routes including the Clitheroe line and the Todmorden Curve. The latest update says passengers travelling through Blackburn and East Lancashire are now seeing more space on board, with Northern planning to restore more four-carriage services across the region.
Cllr Riley said residents were starting to feel the difference, but added that reliability still needs to improve further.
He said: “Residents are beginning to feel a real difference – fewer cancelled services, more predictable journeys, and a noticeable improvement in day-to-day reliability. While some delays still occur, the direction of travel is encouraging, and we will continue pushing for consistent, dependable services every day of the week.”
The council says it will keep pressing Northern for consistent four-carriage services at peak times, better Sunday and late-evening services, fewer short-notice cancellations and clearer timetable information.
Cllr Riley added: “We have pressed Northern consistently on the quality of local rail services, and it’s encouraging to see that our efforts are starting to deliver meaningful improvements. Our residents deserve a rail service that is reliable, comfortable, and fit for purpose – not just sometimes, but every single day. We will keep working with Northern and pressing where needed to ensure this progress continues.”
