Preston, Lancashire was reserved for the new western bypass. The M6 between junctions 30 and 32 was widened extensively between 1993–95 to compensate. Junction 31A which has only a northbound exit and a southbound entry opened in 1997 to serve a nearby business park. Other motorways terminating close to the city are the M61 – Preston to Manchester via Chorley and Bolton, the M65 – Preston to Colne via Blackburn, Accrington and Burnley and the M55 – Preston to Blackpool via Kirkham. Preston railway station opened in 1838 and has since been rebuilt and extended several times. It is a major stop
Sale, Greater Manchester Road in Altrincham, from where trains run to Manchester Piccadilly, Stockport and Chester. Bus routes operated by various companies provide services to Manchester and to Altrincham. The A56 road runs between Chester and North Yorkshire via Sale, Manchester, and Burnley, and the M60 motorway – which encircles Manchester – can be accessed via junction 7, just to the north of Sale. The M56 and M62 motorways are about away, and the M6 motorway, which runs between Warwickshire and Gretna, is about to the west. Manchester Airport, the busiest airport in the UK outside the London area, is to the south.