How To Get To The ELR

The East Lancashire Railway is within easy reach of Manchester and the North West of England. It’s even easy to get to if you’re coming from Yorkshire!

All our stations are just a short journey away from the M62, M60 and M66 and M6, so wherever you’re travelling from you won’t find it difficult to reach us. We’re also really easy to get to via public transport too!

By Metrolink

It only takes 30 minutes to get from Manchester City Centre to the ELR in Bury via the Greater Manchester Metrolink. Hop on any tram heading towards Bury and you’ll be here in no time at all.

Our Bury Bolton Street Station is just a 5 minute walk from the Bury Metrolink stop.

There’s usually a tram every 12 minutes to Bury, though during peak times it’s every 6 minutes. Make sure you buy a ticket before you travel. There are lots of different ticket and travel card options, depending on what time you’re travelling. A family weekend travelcard offers great value!

Visit the TFGM for full ticket details

By Car

There are seven different stations along the East Lancashire Railway, and you can start your journey at any one of them. If you’re travelling by car we’d recommend either Heywood or Rawtenstall where there are large car parks and free park and ride options.

Parking is available at all stations, but is very limited in some places. You’ll need to pay to park in Bury.

View all stations for full parking details

By Train

Manchester is served by an extensive railway network. Take any train to the city centre and then transfer to a Metrolink heading towards Bury at either Manchester Piccadilly or Manchester Victoria.

The nearest mainline station to the ELR is at Castleton. A short bus ride will take you to Heywood to start your journey here.

Visit the National Rail enquiries website

By Coach

If you’re visiting as a group, you’ll find coach drop off points at both Bury and Rawtenstall stations. There’s restricted coach parking on Castlecroft Road in Bury.

By Plane

Coming from further afield? Manchester Airport sits on both the national railway network and the Metrolink network. It’s easy to get from the airport to Bury.