Lancashire four universities: Lancaster University, the University of Central Lancashire, Edge Hill University and the Lancaster campus of the University of Cumbria. Seven colleges offer higher education courses. The Lancashire economy relies strongly on the M6 motorway which runs from north to south, past Lancaster and Preston. The M55 connects Preston to Blackpool and is 11.5 miles (18.3 km) long. The M65 motorway from Colne, connects Burnley, Accrington, Blackburn to Preston. The M61 from Preston via Chorley and the M66 starting inside the county boundary near Edenfield, provide links between Lancashire and Manchester] and the trans-Pennine M62. The M58 crosses the
Accrington railway station hourly service in each direction on Sundays, with through running to and from . These call at all stops (except Salwick), including the major stations of Preston, Blackburn and Burnley Central. From May 2015, direct services to Manchester Victoria have resumed (after a gap of almost fifty years) with the reopening of the Curve. These start at Blackburn and continue onwards through Burnley Manchester Road, using the Caldervale Line south of Todmorden to reach and Manchester. An hourly service each way operates on this route throughout the week. Most of these trains continue beyond Manchester, to and Accrington railway station