Preston railway station in Preston, Lancashire, England, is an interchange railway station on the West Coast Main Line, half-way between London Euston and Glasgow Central (206 miles from London Euston, 194 miles from Glasgow Central). It is served by Avanti West Coast, Northern Trains and TransPennine Express services, plus Caledonian Sleeper overnight services between London and Scotland. It is also served by the Calder Valley line to and , and by branch lines to Blackpool, Ormskirk, and Colne. The North Union Railway opened a station on the site in 1838. It was extended in 1850, with new platforms under the separate management of the East Lancashire Railway, and by 1863 London–Scotland trains stopped here to allow passengers to eat in the station dining room. The current station was built in 1880 and extended in 1903 and 1913, when it had fifteen platforms. A free buffet for servicemen was provided during both World Wars. The East Lancashire platforms were demolished in the 1970s as connecting lines closed. As well as intercity trains to London Euston, Birmingham New Street, Manchester Piccadilly, Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley, the station is served by local trains to other parts of Lancashire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Yorkshire. Station layout and amenities The main entrance to the station is at the bottom of the station approach, a ramp off the bridge that carries Fishergate over the railway. The ticket office is located within the small concourse. This concourse gives direct access, down the ramp, to the intercity platforms 3 and 4. There are footbridges on either side of this ramp to all other platforms. The eastern footbridge ends at an alternative entrance to the station on Butler Street, giving closer access to Preston city centre and the station car park. There are two subways, one of which provides step-free access to all but one platforms in use at the station, The second, adjacent to the passenger subway, was formerly a freight subway and only had access by staff operated freight lifts; these were converted to passenger operated lifts in the 1990s giving full step-free access to all platforms for wheelchairs, trolleys and pushchairs. There is another entrance serving the station car park at the south end of platform 7. The island forming platforms 3 and 4 is a very wide island platform with a long series of buildings. Inside these buildings are services and amenities including