[16] During 1856, two extensions to the Blackburn Railway were proposed: one was to continue the line north from Chatburn to the NWR near Giggleswick (at that time known as Settle); the other would have been from a point to the north of Bolton, between the Croal and Tonge viaducts, to Manchester by way of Radcliffe, Whitefield and Cheetham Hill, and so would have created a line between Bolton and Manchester independent of the LYR.

[20] The line between Blackburn and Hellifield was closed to passengers on 10 September 1962 but continued to be used for diversions and for freight, and until 15 August 1964 there was a Saturdays-only train from Manchester to Glasgow which used this route.

The towns and villages on the route are the following: Passenger services from Clitheroe to Rochdale via Blackburn and Manchester Victoria are operated by Northern Trains.

On summer Sundays, Northern Trains also operates the DalesRail service, which starts at Blackpool and continues beyond Clitheroe to the Settle–Carlisle line, where it calls at all the stations en route to Carlisle.

It ceased in December 2022 due to a lack of available train crew, but a replacement Saturdays-only service started in June 2024, marketed as the "Yorkshire Dales Explorer" and running up to and from Ribblehead.

It was announced in March 2007 that major improvements to the line were being proposed[23] by Blackburn with Darwen Council, who unveiled an £8 million bid to the Department for Transport and Network Rail.

The £5 million scheme included 11,651 yards (10,654 m) of continuous welded rail, 16,000 new concrete or steel sleepers and 40,000 tonnes (44,000 tons) of ballast.

In 2009, a scheme called "Pennine Lancashire" proposed new housing, tourist attractions and improved transport links, supported by the Labour Government and Prime Minister of that time.

[26][27] Network Rail has carried out £14 million of improvements to track & signalling either side of Darwen station in July and August 2015.

A six-week engineering blockade saw the existing passing loop there extended by 1-mile (1.6 km)) at each end and signalling improvements made to add capacity on the line and allow for service frequencies between Bolton and Blackburn to be doubled to two trains per hour each way throughout the day from December 2017.

[30] There have been periodic calls for the final section north from Clitheroe to be re-opened to passenger traffic to provide a connection with the Leeds to Carlisle services at Hellifield.

[31][32] In 2020, the UK Government announced a £500 million fund to enable groups and campaigners to pay for business cases on reopening proposals.

[34] The bid by campaigners suggests reopening the stations at Chatburn, Rimington, Gisburn and Newsholme with a provision for trains from Clitheroe to run southwards to Leeds after arriving at Hellifield, rather than continuing north to Carlisle.