Preston railway station in Preston, Lancashire, England, is a major station on the West Coast Main…read moreLine, roughly half-way between London Euston and Glasgow Central - it is around 200 miles or 2 1/4 hours or so from both - that being said is right in the middle of the two, it is quite an important station, operated by Virgin Trains but I'd even go as far to say this is one of the worst Category B stations I've visited (On the contrast I find the likes of Brighton and Stockport to be the best) The station is mainly used by Virgin Trains who provide routes to destinations such as London, Glasgow and Blackpool but is also used by other services such as Northern (Slow train into Manchester and Greater Manchester towns as well as offering services to Blackpool, York and Liverpool) and TPExpress (fast services into Manchester Piccadilly in 36 minutes, Manchester Airport and Glasgow/Edinburgh. Caledonian Sleeper trains also pass through here, once per day in both directions (London/Scotland) For a nine platform station, it still feels pretty small, unlike virtually every other main train station which is the main one of a city/category B and above there isn't a WHSmith - nor is there much at the station nonetheless other than a few coffees stands with little seating, and a Starbucks which couldn't serve food OR COFFEE! (Come on... are they called Starbucks tea or Starbucks coffee?) The ticket area is pretty small and it does close even at busy times in the evening - meaning it can be hard to find a member of staff. When I did find a staff member they did seem friendly enough even though they had thousands of football fans singing after watching Manchester City defeat Preston North End 3-0 in the third round of the Carabao Cup. It is in a good location for the centre, being only a short walk away from the shopping area, and two stops on the bus from the bus station with cabs outside the station. 2* - Poor facilities in the station but a good location, with friendly enough staff for the extra star.

A great small railway station with a few open ticket offices, a spacious newsstand and a…read morerefreshment stand. Clear information boards which make orientation very easy. Going to work by train doesn´t necessarily mean you have to run straight to the cleaner´s the way you do it in the Czech Republic :D Prima malé nádraží s pár otevřenými pokladnami, prostorným novinovým stánkem a stánkem s občerstvením. Přehledné tabule, snadná orientace. Jezdit vlakem do práce neznamená skočit šipku do čistírny tak, jak je to typické v Česku :D

My son left his phone on the bus that he got off in standish. I was trying to get in touch with the…read moreChorley interchange by telephone. I came across three numbers no longer in service and one more that redirected me to another number that turned out invalid. Not good communications at all in this day and age. If there was an option to give no stars at all I would have.

The new Chorrley Interchange is modern, light , and enclosed…read more Seating what I would call metal net type, so beware in the winter it's cold sitting on them for long periods with the cold nipping through the holes, and the metal. Cooler for the summer Not many seats per stand so you can do a bit of standing as you wait. Although it's newish and modern, buses mostley still tend to leave just a little bit late. Ameneties include: Enclosed passenger waiting area Fifteen bus stands Electronic bus and rail departure information Boards giving bus and train times. CCTV coverage linked to the local police station Security personnel or customer service staff on the bus station until the last departure of the day Shop-mobility satellite office Toilet and baby changing facilities Travel and tourist information Staff can be very good if approched , But you do have to approch them, they arnt mind readers. and they will help where they can. During a snowy period a bus turned up late and shot out without picking up. Within 5 minutes they had a double decker bus and driver just to take me to my destination. I can't fault that. But I don't expect that would happen everytime a bus dosent turn up.. Would be nice to have a small cafe inside it even just for tea, coffee and snack. There are a couple of vending machines Got to give them a five star, all in all it's a well run bus staion.

Chorley Station is a small station on the Manchester-Preston line serving the Lancashire town of…read moreChorley, it's a fairly small station with only two platforms but is in a good town centre location with a ticket-office and Amazon Lockers just outside. The one thing I hate about this station is how it is one of the few train stations where you can't get between platforms without physically going out of the station, this means if you're heading towards Manchester (Platform 2) then you won't pass the main entrance or ticket machine as you could if you were going towards Preston/Blackpool, and it could be signposted a lot better. Platform 2 also has really poor shelter with a lack of a waiting room, it has a bus-stop style shelter; that wouldn't provide any shelter from heavy rain/wind or warmth so the facilities are minimal. The station is now only served by Northern Trains who have been the sole operator to serve this station since 2016, they also manage the station. If you want to head into London or other larger cities, odds are you'll have to go into Manchester Piccadilly first and change over. The staff seemed friendly and offered to show me the way to the other part of the station. 2* - Minimal station with minimal facilities, a small town deserves better, the bonus star is mainly for the friendly staff member and Amazon Lockers outside.

Chorley Station is a small quite station. Modernised…read morefrontage fits in with the new Interchange over the road. Which is where you will get your bus if needed. Taxis you have to ring from station or walk over the road and into town. It does have a taxi area but not where you get them waiting. No cafe on station I imagine it's too small. Again sandwich shop over the road next to the Interchange if you have time to nip over without missing your train. Station Car Park - 140 spaces Monday-Friday 24 hours Saturday 24 hours Sunday 24 hours Chorley Station is just what it is and nothing more.

The Ribble Steam Railway is a fantastic attraction just outside of Preston City centre. The museum…read moreis full of some wonderful examples from the the age of 'real' engineering. Right from the smell when you first enter to the trains in the museum. The Manager's Coach is brilliant, could be mistaken for the Royal train. Don't forget the steam train ride which is a good little run all the way along Preston Mrina (or docks as they were originally built!). What I really like about the RSR is how they've gone out of their way to cater for children, with activity areas where they play, draw and trace to their hearts content. Of course the big kids (Dads) get a great time too!

Preston Bus is operated by Rotala who is one of the country's largest bus operators. It has been…read moreoperated by Rotala since they bought it from Stagecoach (they were forced to sell it by the competitions regulatory watchdog) in 2011. I found the buses interior to be outdated and faded, and pretty old - it seems that ever since Stagecoach sold off Preston Bus the bus quality of Preston Bus hasn't reached the same investment and modernisation as its' rival. They do operate multiple routes including from the town centre to Deepdale, which was the main route I needed as I was in the town to watch Manchester City play away at Preston, however, I did have to get two different buses from the train station which seemed a little frustrating, especially how confusing the routes were (they didn't map out key / main destinations), and the fact the train station and bus station are virtually on the same street (yet at opposite ends) yet they don't seem to serve the same destinations. Ticketing seemed to be priced really high and I was charged separate fairs for each journey even if it was just one stop, they didn't seem to have (or at least offer) a day saver style pass - again this isn't the first time I've struggled with pricing issues with a Rotala bus company, having similarly issued with Diamond North West who operate in Manchester (Interestingly a separate company under the Rotala parent organisation to Preston Bus despite both cities being in the North West region). The app is also terrible compared to other bus companies (again I found this to be typical with other Rotala companies including Diamond North West) - it just seems Preston Bus seem to do a mediocre job from everything you'd expect a bus company to have: timekeeping, route management/planning, pricing and bus quality. 1*

Terrible firm. driver hid behind poor understanding of what I was saying to take me home from…read morePreston to Clayton-le-Woods the long way round down Penwortham Way even though I told him to go via Lostock Hall. What made it worse is his eagerness to jump on the brakes as soon as lights turned to Amber and they charge waiting time at lights don't they!! Id rather walk in future

Very rude!! I called and i asked for a note. To make a stop somewhere. I got the reply " listen to…read moreme. Tell the driver." I said i cant cause its not for me the taxi. I got the second reply "YOU LISTEN TO ME tell the driver!! I was going to say to change the destination but then he hang up on me!! I canceled the taxis called another company. Boom straight away "no problem thank you" Never calling AAA again. And also my restaurant lost us. Bye bye AAA!!

I was astonished to find a bus staion with no public telephone! I needed to make a urgent call, It…read morewas only thanks to a security guard who let me use his mobile.

Preston Bus Station was voted in 2010 as the best building in the city by the local people and to…read moresome extent that is true - from the outside, mainly long-distance the bus station looks modern and a really strange yet cool and funky design but as you grow closer it appears to be old and run-down and that's sad. I used Preston Bus Station as a connecting point to get between Deepdale and the Railway Station as obviously the only route between the two involves changing buses here. Designated as a listed building in 2013, it is even more shocking and poor form to see this place go downhill - inside the station I found to be old-fashioned and dirty - unlike many bus stations in cities there was a lack of technology and it was even difficult to find out which stand (trust me there is many) each bus would go from, and then the times from there - there was a bus number and a few common places listing above every stand but this seemed to mention both directions so was no help - made more difficult again by certain buses going to the same place by the same company (I used Preston Bus, but Stagecoach also go from here) could be at other ends of the station. I mean, come on that makes no sense - why not have the buses going to the same place at least next to each other avoiding having to chance and wait for one? There was a lack of staff at the station too even at a busy period (it was the evening after 5000 City fans were travelling home from Deepdale after City defeated Preston 3-0 - considering the policing around the railway centre and city centre it was surprising and poor again to see this place so deserted. An impressive building from the outside but as you go closer and closer, the excitement of entering a building which looks great and is a bus station nonetheless becomes more regret with a poor confusing layout, lack of technology or even basic information any bus station should have which is dirty, with an odd smell and understaffed at a busy time - it made no sense being so poorly run. 1*