Padiham railway station

The line between Padiham and Rose Grove opened in 1875. West of Padiham it opened two years later as a result of difficulties in constructing the embankments between Great Harwood and Simonstone.

It was closed to regular passenger services on 2 December 1957 but occasional special trains operated until completely closed in 1968. Subsequently the station was later demolished. The railway line from Burnley to Simonstone was retained for continuing deliveries of coal to Padiham power station until the power station closed in 1993.

The nearest station for Padiham is now at Hapton, about 2 miles (3 km) south of the town.

Lancashire County Council began work in 2005 to convert part of the line to a footpath/bridleway/cycle path to be called Padiham Greenway. The route stretches from Mollywood Lane, Rose Grove to Padiham Memorial Park and is about 1.5 miles (2 km) long.^[2] The Greenway was officially opened on 24 June 2010. It is known by locals as the old railway.

It links to the River Calder Greenway and the towpath of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal to form a circular route and also has a branch to Gawthorpe Hall a National Trust property in Padiham. The route also links to the East Lancashire line at Hapton, Rose Grove and Burnley Barracks.^[3]