COMMUTERS should be given reduced fares during heavy rail disruption caused by a burst water main, say the town’s Liberal Democrats.

No trains are running between Bolton and Manchester this week, after a section of Moses Gate bridge collapsed earlier this month.

It is expected that a reduced service will be in operation for another four weeks after that because of the major repair works needed.

The town’s Liberal Democrats have now launched a petition calling on rail bosses to compensate passengers by reducing fares.

Community answers

Bus replacement service - Your experiences

"This has been the type of chaotic scene greeting many using the bus replacement services. Get in touch with your stories and thoughts on the situation. Are there enough buses? Should fares be cheaper? What's the longest commute you've experienced?"

We asked for your responses - this is what you sent.

From Matt Farnworth

What is your response?Have to say during the planned 2 weeks on the whole it was managable as they had a set timetable with staff to direct you. From the bank holiday Monday - we were due to get a morning train from Manchester Pic to York - looked on the timetable which state bus from Bolton at 07:20 to Picc, this did not come and was forced to go to Victoria (thankfull of the trams) Partner got it on Tues 29th trom Leyland and the bus was going the wrong way and missed people out completely! Currently waiting for a coach to Leyland after the coach driver decided he was only going to Chorley - poor Northern rail guy at Horwich didnt have a clue. Poor service and no suprise they maximise profits!

From Chris Smith

What is your response?The queing systems in place for rail replacement buses are non existent, meaning a lot of people are patiently waiting in line, but many are simply jumping the queues. Traffic is horrendous, however the bus lanes do help. I did ask when purchasing my ticket if there would be a discount and they said no, which I find disgusting as on top of the improvement works - I will have been communiting on the bus for over 4 weeks! I'm having to commute over 2/3 hours a day extra, and luckily I am able to leave work early to make the bus. In the first two weeks there was also a lot of confusion over which platform the train was arriving on as there was no signs in place, causing additional delays - it eventually arrived but on the opposite platform and only one line was running whilst improvement works were beign carried out. The buses are never on time, and they are often just deciding the buses destination stops when it arrives, depending on which is the biggest queue.

Your pictures

The Bolton News: The queing systems in place for rail replacement buses are non existent, meaning a lot of people are patiently waiting in line, but many are simply jumping the queues. Traffic is horrendous, however the bus lanes do help. I did ask when purchasing my ticket if there would be a discount and they said no, which I find disgusting as on top of the improvement works - I will have been communiting on the bus for over 4 weeks! I'm having to commute over 2/3 hours a day extra, and luckily I am able to leave work early to make the bus.In the first two weeks there was also a lot of confusion over which platform the train was arriving on as there was no signs in place, causing additional delays - it eventually arrived but on the opposite platform and only one line was running whilst improvement works were beign carried out.The buses are never on time, and they are often just deciding the buses destination stops when it arrives, depending on which is the biggest queue.The queing systems in place for rail replacement buses are non existent, meaning a lot of people are patiently waiting in line, but many are simply jumping the queues. Traffic is horrendous, however the bus lanes do help. I did ask when purchasing my ticket if there would be a discount and they said no, which I find disgusting as on top of the improvement works - I will have been communiting on the bus for over 4 weeks! I'm having to commute over 2/3 hours a day extra, and luckily I am able to leave work early to make the bus.In the first two weeks there was also a lot of confusion over which platform the train was arriving on as there was no signs in place, causing additional delays - it eventually arrived but on the opposite platform and only one line was running whilst improvement works were beign carried out.The buses are never on time, and they are often just deciding the buses destination stops when it arrives, depending on which is the biggest queue.

Party chairman Kevin Walsh said: “Commuters pay a premium to travel by train from Bolton to other areas of Greater Manchester, with thousands making the journey every day often herded onto crammed train carriages.

“Now they’re being forced back onto rail replacement services often adding over an hour onto their daily commute while continuing to pay almost twice as much as bus users each month.

“Of course little can be done in terms of getting the trains running whilst the work at Moses Gate takes place. But commuters should be reimbursed for receiving a sub-par service whilst the work continues.”

Mr Walsh added that extra investment should be put in to the engineering works to ensure that such a collapse ‘can never reoccur’.

A Northern Rail spokesman said: “At the moment Northern is focussed on supporting customers through the disruption and supporting Network Rail in their engineering work so we can resume services as soon as is possible.”