Bolton  | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Bolton,Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, England | ||||
| Coordinates | 53°34′23″N2°25′30″W / 53.573°N 2.425°W /53.573; -2.425 | ||||
| Grid reference | SD719086 | ||||
| Managed by | Northern Trains | ||||
| Platforms | 5 | ||||
| Train operators |
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| Other information | |||||
| Station code | BON | ||||
| Classification | DfT category C1 | ||||
| History | |||||
| Opened | 1838 | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2019/20 |  3.262 million | ||||
| Interchange | 0.425 million | ||||
| 2020/21 |  0.866 million | ||||
| Interchange | 91,085 | ||||
| 2021/22 | 2.344 million | ||||
| Interchange | 0.264 million | ||||
| 2022/23 | 2.499 million | ||||
| Interchange | 0.423 million | ||||
| 2023/24 | 2.712 million | ||||
| Interchange | 0.399 million | ||||
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_Station%2c_entrance_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1845173.jpg)
Bolton Interchange is atransport interchange combiningBolton railway station andBolton bus station in the town ofBolton, inGreater Manchester, England.[1] It is a stop on theManchester to Preston andRibble Valley lines; it lies11+1⁄4 miles (18.1 km) north-west ofManchester Piccadilly. The station is managed byNorthern Trains, which operates services along withTransPennine Express.
The railway station was originally namedBolton Trinity Street to differentiate it from nearbyBolton Great Moor Street station, which closed in 1954.[2] The station was also known asBridgeman Street andBradford Square.[3]
There are frequent local and semi-fast services toManchester Victoria,Manchester Oxford Road, Manchester Piccadilly,Clitheroe,Blackburn,Wigan Wallgate,Blackpool North andBarrow-in-Furness. Services operating to Victoria and Piccadilly operate through and terminate at other regional stations, such asManchester Airport andStalybridge.Inter-city services toEdinburgh Waverley andGlasgow Central stop at Bolton.
Trinity Street station opened when theManchester and Bolton Railway completed its route toSalford Central in 1838. The line was extended to Manchester Victoria in 1843.[4] 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 theLiverpool and Bury Railway's arrival in 1848 gave the town links eastward toBury andRochdale, and westwards toWigan andLiverpool. These lines had all become part of theLancashire and Yorkshire Railway system by 1858.
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 ofLiverpool Exchange, but the line to Wigan remains open. Trains to Manchester Piccadilly and beyond began in May 1988 with the opening of theWindsor Link.
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 entrance and ticket office are at street level, at which there is a footbridge to the bus station and the taxi rank. A walkway leads to the platforms which are in a cutting. Platforms 1 and 3 have a buffet, a large waiting room and toilets. Platforms 4 and 5 have a small waiting room with toilets.[7]
Parking facilities here were closed permanently on 24 January 2017.[8]
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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 services, was rebuilt; it incorporated ataxi 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.[9] In March 2010,GMPTE launched a consultation which proposed relocating the bus station from Moor Lane to a new site adjacent to Bolton Interchange, to improve connections between bus and train services.[10][11] Refurbishment work on the ticket office, platforms and cafe commenced on 15 November 2010.[12]
The new interchange, built on land bounded by Newport Street and Great Moor Street, replaced the old Moor Lane bus station. It 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.
It offers enhanced accessibility with a modern concourse and passenger facilities; these include a retail outlet, bicycle hub, shop mobility, café and modern public toilets with adult and baby changing facilities. It also makes 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 byKier Construction forTransport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), in partnership withBolton Council. The £48 million scheme was funded by the Greater Manchester Transport Fund, which supports the Bolton Town Centre Transport Strategy and the wider town centre regeneration plans.[13]
Network Rail refurbished the lifts for a second time in 2024, to improve the reliability of step-free access at the station.[14]
_railway_station%2c_Greater_Manchester_(geograph_5975456).jpg)
Between May and December 2015, to facilitate the electrification of the route from Manchester to Preston,[15] a reduced service pattern was in place, as only one track through the Farnworth Tunnel could be used due to its reboring to accommodate twin tracks. During this period, many TransPennine Express services were rerouted viaWigan 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, erecting a new footbridge, installation of overhead wiring and signalling upgrades.[16] Buses replaced trains on most routes, with through services diverted viaAtherton 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.[17] The line reopened to traffic on 6 September 2017, upon completion of the repairs to the bridge supports and embankment; 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.[18] 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 trains to Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley with through services to south Manchester andCheshire, also had to be postponed until May 2019; this was because many of these improvements were dependent on the availability of electric rolling stock.
The first overnight electric test trains ran successfully in December 2018.[19] Services commenced on 11 February 2019 withClass 319electric multiple units.[20]
The typical off-peak service in trains per hour (tph) is:
Northern Trains[21]
TransPennine Express[22]
| Preceding station |  National Rail | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TransPennine Express Anglo-Scottish Route Not for passenger use to/from Manchester | ||||
| Northern Trains | ||||
| Northern Trains | ||||
| Northern Trains | ||||
| Northern Trains Monday to Saturday | ||||
| Northern Trains Monday to Saturday | ||||
| Northern Trains Sunday only | ||||
| Historical railways | ||||
| The Oaks Line open, station closed | Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway | Moses Gate Line and station open | ||
| Disused railways | ||||
| Astley Bridge Line and station closed | Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Astley Bridge Branch | Terminus | ||
| Lostock Junction Line and station open | Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Liverpool and Bury Railway | Darcy Lever Line and station closed | ||
Several bus companies provide a comprehensive route network of services around Bolton and the surrounding areas; many operate under theBee Network branding. These includeDiamond North West,Go North West,Stagecoach Merseyside & South Lancashire andBlackburn Bus Company. Destinations includeFarnworth,Preston,Manchester,the Trafford Centre,Westhoughton,Bury,Blackburn andLeigh.[23] Additionally, rail replacement buses are operated by Tyrers or Atlantic Travel.
| Bolton | |
|---|---|
| Bury | |
| Manchester (Manchester station group in italics) | |
| Oldham | |
| Rochdale | |
| Salford | |
| Stockport | |
| Tameside | |
| Trafford | |
| Wigan | |
† stations on theEast Lancashire Railway (heritage) | |
