SERVICE: HIGH SPEED SHUTTLE - HS1 BLACKBURN AND BURNLEY

22nd December 2025 onwards

The HS1 High Speed Shuttle service which connects Blackburn and Burnley town centres, including linking both Royal Blackburn Hospital & Burnley General Hospital, will return to a five-day-a-week timetable from the end of December 2025.

The final weekend journeys will take place on Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st December 2025, afterwhich the service will operate Monday to Friday only.

The decision follows a detailed review of passenger numbers since the route was expanded earlier this year. While weekday demand remains sufficient to make the service sustainable, weekend usage has not reached the levels needed to make operation commercially viable.

The Monday to Friday HS1 service remains unaffected, continuing to provide a reliable, affordable, and high-quality transport link between Blackburn and Burnley.

As a fully commercial operation, the HS1 service receives no financial support from Lancashire County Council, Blackburn with Darwen Council, or East Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

We know this decision will disappoint some of our regular weekend passengers, and we’re genuinely sorry. We’ve listened to feedback, explored options such as timetable changes, and done our best to make it work, but the figures simply don’t add up.

We want to thank everyone who has supported HS1 so far – especially our NHS staff and loyal customers – and we remain committed to running a reliable, affordable weekday service that keeps East Lancashire connected.

Key Points

• Fares will be capped at at maximum of £3 per journey under the governments fare cap scheme. This will reduce to £1 after 19:00.

• Concessionary passes are accepted between 09:30 and 23:00.

• The bus will depart Blackburn Bus Station Stand 14

• At Royal Blackburn Hospital it will use Stands A&B

• In Burnley Centre it will use the bus bays outside the bus station on Red Lion Street (towards Burnley General) and Croft Street (towards Blackburn).

• The bus will not enter Burnley General Hospital grounds - it will use the bus bay on Briercliffe Road and the stop on Casterton Avenue between the two entrances (pick-up only)

• The service will now make the journey from Blackburn Hospital to Burnley Barracks with no stops in between. 

ROUTE DESCRIPTION

Blackburn Bus Station to Burnley General Hospital

From Blackburn Bus Station Stand 14 onto Penny Street – right on Salford – left into Railway Road to pass Railway Station – ahead on Jubilee Street – left on Darwen Street – under railway bridge and ahead on Park Road – onto Grimshaw Park – left on A6077 Haslingden Road – into Royal Blackburn Hospital. From Royal Blackburn Hospital express service direct to Burnley Barracks with no stops via M65 Eastbound – right at M65 J10 (5th exit) onto Cavalry Way - over motorway and left at Gannow Top roundabout (1st exit) – follow A671 Westway – bear left at lights into Westgate – straight on at lights into St James’s Street – ahead through bus gate and round into Hammerton Street – left at lights into Hargreaves Street – left at lights into Manchester Road – follow right into Red Lion Street to bus stop. From Red Lion Street - left at lights onto A682 Centenary Way – ahead at lights into Church Street – continue through lights onto A682 Colne Road – follow one-way system at Duke Bar – right via Barden Street into Briercliffe Road – terminates into to bus bay outside Burnley General Hospital, phase 5 on Briercliffe Road.

Burnley General Hospital to Blackburn Bus Station

From bus bay outside Burnley General Hospital phase 5 on Briercliffe Road – Left on to Casterton Avenue, - Left on to Colne Road - left on to Church Street – right at lights into Yorkshire Street – left into Croft Street to bus stop – right into Red Lion Street – left into Parker Lane – right into Grimshaw Street – straight on at lights into Hargreaves Street – Westgate onto Westway Burnley Barracks express service to Royal Blackburn Hospital with no stops via M65. From Royal Blackburn Hospital – reverse of route to Grimshaw Park to Asda – left onto A6078 – right onto Great Bolton Street – under railway bridge and ahead onto Darwen Street – bear left in one-way system onto Mincing Lane – first right into Mill Lane – ahead across lights into Jubilee Street – then reverse of route to Blackburn Bus Station.