The railway station was originally named Bolton Trinity Street to differentiate it from nearby Bolton Great Moor Street station which closed in 1954.[2] The station was also known as "Bridgeman Street Station" and "Bradford Square Station".[3]
The entrance and ticket office are at street level, at which there is a footbridge to the bus station and the taxi rank (Which is located outside the entrance). A walkway leads to the platforms which are in a cutting. Platform 1 and 3 has a buffet and a large waiting room and toilets. Platform 4 and 5 has a small waiting room with toilets. The original main station building was demolished in the 1980s, but the Victorian buildings survive on the platforms. The clock tower was dismantled and rebuilt next to the new station.
The network of routes radiating from Bolton has remained largely unchanged to this day, the one exception being the line to Rochdale which closed on 5 October 1970.[5] Through trains to Liverpool ended in 1977 with the closure of Liverpool Exchange station, but the line to Wigan remains open. Trains to Manchester Piccadilly and beyond began running in May 1988 with the opening of the Windsor Link.
View northward from the main Down platform in 1965
Automatic ticket barriers have been operational at the station since 12 December 2016.[6] Northern (Arriva Rail North Limited) had announced its intention to install them here (and at several other locations) earlier in the year.
The station currently has four platforms in regular use.
Platform 1 is bi-directional and used for trains heading north to Blackburn and Clitheroe, and trains heading south to Manchester Victoria and Rochdale. Platform 1 can also be used as a terminating platform for services from Manchester and Blackburn.
Platform 2 sits at the far end of platform 1 and 3 and is a terminating platform from Manchester which is rarely used, with only one train per week timetabled to use this platform. It is sometimes used for when trains cannot go any further than Bolton, such engineering works or an obstruction on the line.
Platform 3 is used for southbound trains heading to Manchester Victoria, Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Airport, Stalybridge and Manchester Oxford Road. Platform 3 is bi-directional and can be used for northbound trains to Blackburn when platform 1 is full and for terminating trains from Manchester.
Platform 4 is primarily used by northbound services via Preston, serving further destinations including Blackpool, Cumbria and Scotland. Some Wigan-bound services also use this platform instead of P5. Platform 4 is bi-directional and can be used by southbound trains to Manchester during disruption, and can be used by terminating trains from Blackpool and Wigan during disruption or engineering works.
Platform 5 is primarily used by westbound services to Wigan Wallgate and Southport, however some Preston-bound services also use this platform instead of P4. Platform 5 is bi-directional and can be used by terminating trains from Manchester during engineering works or disruption.
In the early 1990s, Bolton's old Platform 5 was used for the Red Star Parcels service. This was separated from Platform 4 by a brick wall and the track had been concreted over to form a car park for passenger use. Parking facilities here were closed permanently on 24 January 2017.[7]
The old platform 5 was rebuilt to increase capacity and opened on 6 September 2017. The work to install signals and overhead cables was completed in the autumn of 2018.
In 2005 and 2006, part of the station and its surrounding area underwent major refurbishment.
The walkway between the ticket office and platforms was modernised along with the station lifts and stairs. Bolton Interchange which serves as a direct connection between bus and rail to certain districts of Bolton was rebuilt, incorporating a taxi rank. The bridge connecting Newport Street with the rest of the town centre was also rebuilt, along with a large arch, which is clearly noticeable in the Bolton skyline.
In 2006 a proposal to refurbish the station toilets, waiting rooms, ticket office and platforms was rejected due to lack of funds.[8] In March 2010, GMPTE launched a consultation which proposed relocating Bolton bus station from Moor Lane to a new site adjacent to Bolton Interchange to improve connections between bus and train services.[9][10] Refurbishment work on the ticket office, platforms and cafe commenced on 15 November 2010.[11]
The new interchange, built on land bounded by Newport Street and Great Moor Street, replaced the old Moor Lane bus station and provides vastly improved waiting areas, passenger facilities, information, safety and security. It directly connects bus and rail services via a Skylink pedestrian footbridge, improving transport links, as well as access to the town centre.
The new interchange will offer enhanced accessibility with a modern concourse and passenger facilities including a retail outlet, cycle hub, shop mobility, café and modern public toilets including adult and baby changing facilities. It will also make use of innovative sustainable energy initiatives, including rainwater recycling to flush the toilets, solar panels, air source heat pumps and low-energy LED lighting.
The new transport interchange was delivered by Kier Construction for TfGM in partnership with Bolton Council. The £48 million scheme was funded by the Greater Manchester Transport Fund and supports the Bolton Town Centre Transport Strategy and the wider town centre regeneration plans.[12]
Network Rail refurbished the lifts for a second time in 2024 to improve the reliability of step-free access at the station, with work currently ongoing and expected to finish in the winter.[13]
Electrification
From May 2015 until December 2015, to facilitate the electrification of the route from Manchester to Preston[14] a reduced service pattern was in place as only one track through the Farnworth Tunnel could be used due to its re-boring to accommodate twin tracks. During this period, many TransPennine Express services were re-routed via Wigan North Western avoiding Bolton altogether. At the weekends train services between Manchester and Bolton were replaced by buses. In April 2016, in preparation for electrification, Orlando St. bridge was replaced, Soho St. bridge was demolished and track lowering took place in the Bullfield Tunnels area.
Another 15 day blockade took place between 12 and 27 August 2017 to permit further work at the station, including the reinstatement of platform 5 (as noted), erecting a new footbridge, installation of overhead wiring and signalling upgrades.[15] Buses replaced trains on most routes, with through services diverted via Atherton or Wigan North Western. The work was completed on schedule on 28 August, but the line towards Manchester remained closed following the work due to an embankment collapse and bridge damage at Moses Gate caused by a burst water main. As a result, the only service running was that to and from Blackburn, with other trains diverted away and replacement bus services to Manchester, Wigan and Preston in place.[16] The line reopened to traffic on 6 September 2017 upon completion of the repairs to the bridge supports and embankment and normal working resumed on all routes.
The electrification work at the station was due to be completed in time for the December 2017 timetable change, which would have seen a major revamp of the service pattern in operation. The work however fell well behind schedule, with Network Rail admitting in January 2018 that the work would not even be completed in time for the next timetable change in May. This was due to unexpected problems with poor ground conditions in several locations, which meant that some 200 masts for the overhead wires could not be installed as planned.[17] In order to complete the remaining work by the end of the year (both piling for the masts and the actual wiring), further weekend blockades were imposed by Network Rail, which were expected to continue until November 2018 (along with a nine-day line closure in late August). The planned timetable revamp (including the return of Glasgow and Edinburgh trains and through services to south Manchester and Cheshire) have also had to be postponed until May 2019 as many of these improvements were dependent on the availability of electric rolling stock.
Platforms at Bolton Interchange in 2018, following electrification.
The first overnight electric test trains ran successfully in December 2018.[18] Electric service commenced on 11 February 2019 utilising Class 319 Electric Multiple Units.[19]
Services
Rail
As of summer 2023, the typical off-peak service is:
TransPennine Express provide an irregular service from Bolton, with 7 trains per weekday in both directions to Carlisle, extending to Edinburgh Waverley or Glasgow Central. These trains are pick-up only northbound and set-down only southbound, so passengers cannot use these trains for journeys between Bolton and Manchester.
Several bus companies provide a comprehensive route network of services around Bolton and the surrounding areas, with some subsidised on behalf of the Bee Network: Diamond North West, Go North West, Stagecoach Merseyside & South Lancashire and Blackburn Bus Company. Some of the destinations served include Farnworth, Preston, Manchester, The Trafford Centre, Westhoughton, Bury, Blackburn and Leigh. Additionally, rail replacement buses are operated by Tyrers or Atlantic Travel.
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