M65 motorway M65 motorway The M65 is a motorway in Lancashire, England. It runs from just south of Preston through the major junction of the M6 and M61 motorways, east past Darwen, Blackburn, Accrington, Burnley, Nelson and ends at Colne. The M65 was opened in the following sections: The first section of the motorway was opened in 1981, connecting Burnley to Brierfield. Over the years, several extensions were made, the largest being the link from Whitebirk to the M6 and M61 motorways in 1997. This extension was the scene of a standoff between construction security workers and protesters (often known as 'eco-warriors').
Burnley Manchester-based SBS Architects, won the UK Bus Award for Infrastructure in 2003. The main bus operator is Burnley Bus Company, with Tyrer Bus operating some tendered town services. Other services are provided by First Greater Manchester (589 to Rochdale, 592 to Halifax), Blackburn Bus Company (152 to Preston), Pennine (215 to Skipton), and Rosso (483 to Bury). National Express operates three coach services to London each day, and one to Birmingham. The town has good bus links into Manchester. The X43 Witch Way service (operated by Burnley Bus Company) runs from Skipton, to Manchester via Barnoldswick, Colne, Nelson, Burnley, Rawtenstall