Lancashire bus firm Rosso is to run new evening journeys on its busy Irwell Line 481 route between Blackburn and Rawtenstall, and on the companion Irwell Line 483 linking Rawtenstall with Burnley.
Both routes currently finish in mid-evening, but now the bus operator is working with Lancashire County Council to introduce later journeys – delivering a welcome boost for East Lancashire’s evening economy.
From 21 July, a revised Irwell Line timetable will offer new journey options, including:
- Irwell Line 481 – new journeys from Blackburn to Rawtenstall at 7.47pm, 9.17pm and 10.47pm. Extra buses will also leave Blackburn for Rawtenstall at 8.36pm and 10.06pm, with a trip to Haslingden at 11.36pm
- Irwell Line 483 – extra journeys will leave Burnley for Rawtenstall at 7.47pm, 9.17pm and 10.47pm. New journeys will also run from Rawtenstall to Burnley at 8.38pm, 9.38pm and 11.08pm. Weekday trips after 7pm will serve Newchurch Road, following the Sunday route.
Rosso says other times on Irwell Line and the 464 between Accrington, Rawtenstall, Bacup and Rochdale will also change slightly to serve Edenfield village.
These extra evening journeys will make travel easier and safer for communities across East Lancashire.
We’ve teamed up with Lancashire County Council to introduce these improvements which will make our buses the ideal choice for an evening out at our area’s many leisure attractions – and with any journey after 7pm priced at just £1, with support from Lancashire’s £8.5 million Bus Service Improvement Plan, it won’t break the bank.
Tony Fiocca, Rosso General Manager
Rosso is part of the Transdev family of bus companies across the North of England. Sister companies The Blackburn Bus Company and The Burnley Bus Company operate several of Lancashire’s most popular bus services, including branded bus routes which are household names in the communities they serve. Both have benefited from multi-million-pound investments in new and revitalised buses.
Rosso operates local bus services in Rossendale, with its network of routes reaching Bury, Blackburn and Burnley.
The company’s history can be traced back to 1907 with the bus and tram operations of Haslingden and Rawtenstall Corporations. The last tram ran in 1932, and since then its buses have operated along the valley between Accrington and Bacup.