Connecting Lancashire

We are nationally and globally connected

We are two hours from London by train, with the West Coast Mainline running straight through the centre of Lancashire. In addition, Preston rail station serves over 1.6 million customers every year, making it the third busiest station in the north west.

Road network

Lancashire is accessible via six major motorways (M55, M58, M6, M61, M65, M66) and an ongoing infrastructure delivery plan as part of the Preston, South Ribble and Lancashire City Deal which is continuously improving road links across the County.

International

We are easily accessible from our neighbouring cities of Liverpool, Leeds, Manchester and beyond and we are connected to the world’s cargo routes by air, sea and rail. Just 30 minutes from Manchester airport, our global connections are endless. We are also home to Heysham Port which offers fast, efficient access to the Irish Sea and close proximity to nearby offshore wind, gas and nuclear energy industries.

Centres of educational excellence and global research

Our four Universities attract thousands of national and international students and research fellows every year. Lancaster University is recognised as being within the top 1 per cent of the world’s universities and ranked 8th in the UK.

UCLan is one of the country’s 10 largest universities and first modern university in the UK to be recognised by the QS World Rankings. Edge Hill University is currently recognised as the THE (Times Higher Education) UK university of the year and a national leader in graduate employment outcomes.

University of Cumbria – one of the UK’s newest universities – with its largest campus located in Lancaster has strengths in education and healthcare. Together Lancashire’s Universities and Colleges combine to produce the UK’s largest source of STEM graduates.