 The short curve that allowed trains to travel between the Manchester and Burnley was removed in 1972 when the line was re-signalled.Stansfield Hall station used to serve the northern end of the town on this line, but it was closed in 1944.A project to reinstate the Manchester-Burnley curve was first proposed in 2009, although it was not until the end of 2011 that the finance was finally secured as part of the Regional Growth Fund initiative announced by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.