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
Manchester, Bury and Rossendale Railway Manchester, Bury and Rossendale Railway The Manchester, Bury and Rossendale Railway, opened in 1846, ran between the towns of Clifton and Bury in what is now Greater Manchester, and the district of Rossendale in Lancashire, England. The company merged with the Blackburn, Burnley, Accrington & Colne Extension Railway (BBA&CER) to form the East Lancashire Railway. In the early 1840s the nearest railway to Bury was the Manchester and Bolton Railway, at its closest through Stoneclough almost 4.5 miles distant. This railway company had initially proposed to create a branch to Bury, but technical difficulties meant that the connection never materialised.