#AYearOfBuses 59: Preston – Blackburn

It’s a tale of two rivals today, as we take a look at Stagecoach Merseyside & South Lancashire’s interurban route connecting the city of Preston with Blackburn on #AYearOfBuses.

The 59 is one of two main routes connecting the east Lancashire town of Blackburn with Preston, the other being Transdev’s Hotline 152. The 59 takes the high road – the A59, funnily enough – running through Samlesbury and Mellor, with its rival, Hotline, taking the lower route through Feniscowles and Hoghton.

Both the 59 and Hotline are run with high spec double deckers and identical frequencies – every 30 mins through the daytime between the two places. Hotline, though goes further – extending to Burnley, further east of Blackburn to create one long, flowing route running across most of east Lancashire.