Bolton railway station
Encyclopedia
Bolton Interchange is a transport interchange combining the railway station and a four stand bus station
in the town of Bolton
in Greater Manchester
, England
. The station is located on the Manchester spur of the West Coast Main Line
and is managed by Northern Rail
. The station is 11¼ miles (18 km) north west of Manchester Piccadilly.
The station was originally named Bolton Trinity Street to differentiate it from nearby Bolton Great Moor Street station
which closed in 1954. The station was also known as "Bridgeman Street Station" and "Bradford Square Station".
The entrance and ticket office are at street level, at which there is a bus interchange and taxi rank. A walkway leads to the platforms which are in a cutting. The main island platform has a buffet. 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 station is on the Ribble Valley Line
, a local line running north to Blackburn
and Clitheroe
. There are services used by commuters from Wigan Wallgate
and on the Manchester-Preston Line.
Recent timetables provide a convenient connection (although a platform change must be made which is not possible for wheelchair users) at Hindley (Wigan, Kirkby and Southport bound trains from Bolton) for certain stations on the Atherton line (Daisy Hill, Hag Fold, Atherton and Walkden).
completed its route to Salford Central in 1838. The line extended to Manchester Victoria in 1843. This line was extended to Preston
by the Bolton and Preston Railway in 1841. The route northwards, now the Ribble Valley Line, to Blackburn
followed four years later, whilst the Liverpool and Bury Railway
's arrival in 1848 gave the town links eastward to Bury & Rochdale
and westwards to Wigan
& Liverpool
. These lines had all become part of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
system by 1858.
The network of routes radiating from here has remained largely unchanged to this day, the one exception being the line to Rochdale which closed on 5 October 1970. 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
.
Although Bolton is a major station, ticket barriers are not installed; tickets are usually manually checked at the main entrance.
Up until the early 1990s, Bolton also had a Platform 5, latterly used for the Red Star Parcels
service. This is currently separated from Platform 4 by a brick wall and the track has been concreted over to form a car park for passenger use. The track that made up Platform 5 is still partially visible when heading into Bolton station heading northward.
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. 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. Refurbishment work on the ticket office, platforms and cafe commenced on 15 November 2010.
and First TransPennine Express
. Some of the services to Manchester Victoria continue eastward to Rochdale, whilst those to Piccadilly mainly run to either Hazel Grove
or Manchester Airport
. There are three trains an hour to Wigan
for much of the day, with hourly extensions to Southport
plus two trains an hour to Blackpool North
via Preston and an hourly service to Blackburn and Clitheroe
(with extras at peak periods).
TransPennine Express also operate through services to Barrow-in-Furness
(two-hourly), Windermere
(limited service), Glasgow (three trains per day) and Edinburgh Waverley (four trains per day). There was also a single service to and from Glasgow operated by Virgin Trains
in the 2007-08 timetable, but this ended in December 2008.
Most routes have an hourly service on Sundays, although there is only a limited service to and from Scotland. Services on the Southport line run through to and (every second hour) to via Altrincham.
The direct Scottish service will end in 2013 when the service is diverted via Wigan using newly electrified lines. Unless additional services are run via Bolton in lieu this diversion would leave a roughly 2 hourly gap in the Bolton service.
and First
. Buses run to many parts of Bolton and Greater Manchester including Johnson Fold, Farnworth
, Horwich
, Manchester, Wigan, Eccles
and Stockport
.
Bus station
A bus station is a structure where city or intercity buses stop to pick up and drop off passengers. It is larger than a bus stop, which is usually simply a place on the roadside, where buses can stop...
in the town of Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
in Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The station is located on the Manchester spur of the West Coast Main Line
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
and is managed by Northern Rail
Northern Rail
Northern Rail is a British train operating company that has operated local passenger services in Northern England since 2004. Northern Rail's owner, Serco-Abellio, is a consortium formed of Abellio and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems...
. The station is 11¼ miles (18 km) north west of Manchester Piccadilly.
The station was originally named Bolton Trinity Street to differentiate it from nearby Bolton Great Moor Street station
Bolton Great Moor Street railway station
Bolton Great Moor Street railway station was the first railway station in Bolton, opened on 11 June 1831 by the Bolton and Leigh Railway. Originally named simply Bolton, it was renamed Bolton Great Moor Street in October 1849...
which closed in 1954. The station was also known as "Bridgeman Street Station" and "Bradford Square Station".
The entrance and ticket office are at street level, at which there is a bus interchange and taxi rank. A walkway leads to the platforms which are in a cutting. The main island platform has a buffet. 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 station is on the Ribble Valley Line
Ribble Valley Line
The Ribble Valley Line is a railway line that runs from Manchester Victoria through Blackburn to the small market town of Clitheroe in Lancashire. Regular passenger services normally only run as far as Clitheroe, but occasional passenger services run along the line through north Lancashire towards...
, a local line running north to Blackburn
Blackburn railway station
Blackburn railway station is a railway station that serves the town of Blackburn in Lancashire, England. It is east of Preston and is managed and served by Northern Rail.-Description:The station is served by two lines...
and Clitheroe
Clitheroe railway station
Clitheroe railway station serves the town of Clitheroe in Lancashire, England. The station is the northern terminus of the Ribble Valley Line operated by Northern Rail and is north of Blackburn. The station forms part of the multi-award winning Clitheroe Interchange.- History :The original station...
. There are services used by commuters from Wigan Wallgate
Wigan Wallgate railway station
Wigan Wallgate railway station is one of two main railway stations serving the town of Wigan in Greater Manchester, England. The station is on 2 lines, the Manchester-Southport Line and the Manchester-Kirkby Line. It is north west of Manchester Victoria...
and on the Manchester-Preston Line.
Recent timetables provide a convenient connection (although a platform change must be made which is not possible for wheelchair users) at Hindley (Wigan, Kirkby and Southport bound trains from Bolton) for certain stations on the Atherton line (Daisy Hill, Hag Fold, Atherton and Walkden).
History
Trinity Street station opened when the Manchester and Bolton RailwayManchester and Bolton Railway
The Manchester and Bolton Railway was a railway in the historic county of Lancashire, England, connecting Salford to Bolton. It was built by the proprietors of the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal Navigation and Railway Company who had in 1831 converted from a canal company...
completed its route to Salford Central in 1838. The line extended to Manchester Victoria in 1843. This line was extended to Preston
Preston railway station
Preston railway station serves the city of Preston in Lancashire, England and is a major station on the West Coast Main Line.It is served by Northern Rail, Virgin Trains, and TransPennine Express services, plus First ScotRail overnight sleeper services between London and Scotland.-Station layout...
by the Bolton and Preston Railway in 1841. The route northwards, now the Ribble Valley Line, to Blackburn
Blackburn railway station
Blackburn railway station is a railway station that serves the town of Blackburn in Lancashire, England. It is east of Preston and is managed and served by Northern Rail.-Description:The station is served by two lines...
followed four years later, whilst the Liverpool and Bury Railway
Liverpool and Bury Railway
The Liverpool and Bury Railway was formed in 1845 and opened on 28 November 1848. The line ran from Liverpool Exchange first using a joint line with Liverpool, Ormskirk and Preston Railway before branching of to proceed via Kirkby then Wigan and Bolton to Bury.In 1846 the line merged with the...
's arrival in 1848 gave the town links eastward to Bury & Rochdale
Rochdale railway station
Rochdale railway station serves the town of Rochdale in Greater Manchester, England. The Manchester and Leeds Railway opened a station serving the town in the 19th century...
and westwards to Wigan
Wigan Wallgate railway station
Wigan Wallgate railway station is one of two main railway stations serving the town of Wigan in Greater Manchester, England. The station is on 2 lines, the Manchester-Southport Line and the Manchester-Kirkby Line. It is north west of Manchester Victoria...
& Liverpool
Liverpool Exchange railway station
Liverpool Exchange railway station was a railway station located in the town centre of Liverpool, England.- Station construction and opening :...
. These lines had all become part of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway was a major British railway company before the 1923 Grouping. It was incorporated in 1847 from an amalgamation of several existing railways...
system by 1858.
The network of routes radiating from here has remained largely unchanged to this day, the one exception being the line to Rochdale which closed on 5 October 1970. 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
Windsor Link
The Windsor Link is a short but key railway line in central Manchester that connects Salford Crescent and Deansgate stations, opened in 1988. The new link allows services from north west of Manchester to be diverted from Manchester Victoria to Manchester Piccadilly, emphasising the latter's status...
.
Although Bolton is a major station, ticket barriers are not installed; tickets are usually manually checked at the main entrance.
Platforms
The station currently has four platforms in use. Platform 1 is used for trains heading north to Blackburn and Clitheroe, and trains heading south to Manchester Victoria. Platform 2 is situated at the southern end of the station and allows for trains to terminate at Bolton. Platform 3 is used for trains heading both to Manchester Victoria and Manchester Piccadilly. Platform 4 is used for trains heading north including Blackpool, Barrow-in-Furness, Edinburgh and Glasgow.Up until the early 1990s, Bolton also had a Platform 5, latterly used for the Red Star Parcels
Red Star Parcels
Red Star Parcels was a service which utilised passenger trains for transporting parcels between passenger railway stations throughout the United Kingdom, owned and operated by British Rail. It was introduced experimentally on 1 April 1963. Senders could despatch their consignments to a number of...
service. This is currently separated from Platform 4 by a brick wall and the track has been concreted over to form a car park for passenger use. The track that made up Platform 5 is still partially visible when heading into Bolton station heading northward.
Refurbishment
Between 2005 into 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. 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. Refurbishment work on the ticket office, platforms and cafe commenced on 15 November 2010.
Rail
There are frequent rail services to both main Manchester stations provided by both Northern RailNorthern Rail
Northern Rail is a British train operating company that has operated local passenger services in Northern England since 2004. Northern Rail's owner, Serco-Abellio, is a consortium formed of Abellio and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems...
and First TransPennine Express
First TransPennine Express
First TransPennine Express is a British train operating company. It is a joint operation between First Group and Keolis . It operates regular passenger services in northern England, including services linking the west and east coasts across the Pennines...
. Some of the services to Manchester Victoria continue eastward to Rochdale, whilst those to Piccadilly mainly run to either Hazel Grove
Hazel Grove railway station
Hazel Grove railway station is on the Stockport to Buxton / Sheffield line, serving the village of Hazel Grove, Greater Manchester, England. It was built for the Stockport, Disley and Whaley Bridge Railway by the London and North Western Railway and opened on 9 June 1857...
or Manchester Airport
Manchester Airport railway station
Manchester Airport railway station is the railway station that serves Manchester Airport and is built into the airport's terminal buildings. The station was opened together with the second airport terminal in 1993.- Description:...
. There are three trains an hour to Wigan
Wigan Wallgate railway station
Wigan Wallgate railway station is one of two main railway stations serving the town of Wigan in Greater Manchester, England. The station is on 2 lines, the Manchester-Southport Line and the Manchester-Kirkby Line. It is north west of Manchester Victoria...
for much of the day, with hourly extensions to Southport
Southport railway station
Southport railway station serves the town of Southport, Merseyside, England. It is at the end of one of the branches of the Northern Line of the Merseyrail network, and at the end of the Manchester-Southport Line which runs via Wigan...
plus two trains an hour to Blackpool North
Blackpool North railway station
Blackpool North railway station is the main railway station serving the seaside resort of Blackpool in Lancashire, England. It is the terminus of the main Blackpool branch line from Preston....
via Preston and an hourly service to Blackburn and Clitheroe
Clitheroe railway station
Clitheroe railway station serves the town of Clitheroe in Lancashire, England. The station is the northern terminus of the Ribble Valley Line operated by Northern Rail and is north of Blackburn. The station forms part of the multi-award winning Clitheroe Interchange.- History :The original station...
(with extras at peak periods).
TransPennine Express also operate through services to Barrow-in-Furness
Barrow-in-Furness railway station
Barrow-in-Furness railway station is a railway station that serves the town of Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria, England. It is located on the Furness Line to Lancaster and the Cumbrian Coast Line to Workington and Carlisle...
(two-hourly), Windermere
Windermere railway station
Windermere railway station is the railway station that serves Windermere in Cumbria, England. It is just south of the A591, about 15 min walk or a short bus ride from the lake. The station is located behind a branch of the Booths supermarket chain, which occupies the site of the original station...
(limited service), Glasgow (three trains per day) and Edinburgh Waverley (four trains per day). There was also a single service to and from Glasgow operated by Virgin Trains
Virgin Trains
Virgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operates long-distance passenger services on the West Coast Main Line between London, the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland...
in the 2007-08 timetable, but this ended in December 2008.
Most routes have an hourly service on Sundays, although there is only a limited service to and from Scotland. Services on the Southport line run through to and (every second hour) to via Altrincham.
The direct Scottish service will end in 2013 when the service is diverted via Wigan using newly electrified lines. Unless additional services are run via Bolton in lieu this diversion would leave a roughly 2 hourly gap in the Bolton service.
Bus
Bus services are operated primarily by ArrivaArriva North West
Arriva North West is a division of Arriva that operates bus services around North West England. It consists of two companies: Arriva North West Ltd and Arriva Merseyside Ltd....
and First
First Manchester
First Manchester is one of the bus companies serving Greater Manchester, a metropolitan county in North West England. It forms part of FirstGroup, a company operating transport services across the British Isles and in North America...
. Buses run to many parts of Bolton and Greater Manchester including Johnson Fold, Farnworth
Farnworth
Farnworth is within the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton in Greater Manchester, England. It is located southeast of Bolton, 6 miles south-west of Bury , and northwest of Manchester....
, Horwich
Horwich
Horwich is a town and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, in Greater Manchester, England. It is southeast of Chorley, northwest of Bolton and northwest from the city of Manchester. It lies at the southern edge of the West Pennine Moors with the M61 motorway close to the...
, Manchester, Wigan, Eccles
Eccles, Greater Manchester
Eccles is a town in the City of Salford, a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in North West England, west of Salford and west of Manchester city centre...
and Stockport
Stockport
Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground southeast of Manchester city centre, at the point where the rivers Goyt and Tame join and create the River Mersey. Stockport is the largest settlement in the metropolitan borough of the same name...
.