Bolton commuters were promised that rail services would not only be back to normal after the long-awaited reopening of Farnworth Tunnel, but would be greatly improved, with more train seats available on peak-time services. So has the promise been fulfilled? Well no, not yet, judging by comments received by local news media and a number of posts seen on social networks such as Twitter. The consensus appears to be that ‘back to normal’ actually means ‘crowded and late’, with no sign of the extra capacity making any appreciable difference. Peak time services remain overcrowded, with passengers being shoehorned into trains in which even standing room is scarce.
(Chris Burchell, MD of Arriva UK Trains)
A spokesman for Northern Rail commented that ‘this is a particularly busy time of year and as an industry, we’re seeing increasing numbers of customers choosing to travel by train. We’ll be monitoring numbers closely to ensure we’re delivering the best possible services for our customers through Bolton’.
It may well be that seasonal demand is distorting the picture, but we will continue to monitor events and seek feedback from Bolton residents who rely on local rail services. David Crausby, MP for Bolton North East has said that he will be requesting a meeting with Northern Rail early in the new year to discuss the situation.
In the longer term, relief for beleaguered commuters and leisure users alike may come later in 2016, following the news that Arriva has been awarded the Northern rail franchise, with effect from April 1st. Chris Burchell, Managing Director of Arriva’s UK Trains division, said: “We are proud to be given the opportunity to transform rail travel for passengers in the North of England and to work closely with our partners to connect towns, cities and communities like never before.
“We will be investing more than £1billion to deliver a step-change in quality for customers and dramatically improving services, stations, information and ticketing.
“Our aim is to be the communities’ local railway and to leave a positive lasting legacy for the North of England.”