Yasmin Qureshi writes to Northern on Bolton railway station lifts

The Bolton News has recently reported that both lifts at the station had been out of order, one while it undergoes long-term repairs and the other having broken down on Monday, May 13.

Now Bolton South East MP Yasmin Qureshi has said that these breakdowns have been an ongoing problem and that she has written to both the government and rail company Northern.

Ms Qureshi said: “Bolton railway station is the gateway to our town and in terms of first impressions and giving a good account of our town to new visitors, having basic services in working order is a must.

“Of course, I understand that things break down from time and time and require maintenance but this has been going on for months.

The other lift at the station had been broken down on Monday (Image: Newsquest)

“Regular commuters will point out that this has been an ongoing problem on and off for years.

“I have heard on a number of occasions how disabled passengers have to go on to the next station with accessibility and come back to alight to Bolton to alight on the platform where their exit can be arranged safely.”

The lift between platforms four and five has been out of order since mid-March while £570,000 upgrade work takes place.

Network Rail has said that it expects the lift to be working again by this summer between until then it means the only step-free access has been via platforms one, two, and three.

This means trains leaving from platforms four and five, going towards Blackpool, Southport and others, are not directly accessible without stairs.

It also means that whenever the other set of lifts breakdown there is no lift access at all.

Ms Qureshi said: “This is not an acceptable state of affairs for a day or week let alone months and months.

“There is obvious inconvenience to disabled passengers and it begs the question how many are put off using the railways in Bolton because of the uncertainty that basic amenities will be available to them to facilitate their journey.”

Ms Qureshi says she has now written to both Northern and transport secretary Mark Harper about the situation.

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But the rail operator has said that it hopes to see improved service at Bolton Station in the long term thanks to the works that are taking place.

Northern in the North West regional director Craig Harrop said: “The work to replace the lifts at Bolton station is necessary to improve the long-term reliability of the facilities at the station and support customers who require step free access.

“The work is being carried out by our colleagues at Network Rail who are working on one lift at a time to keep the station as accessible as possible.

“We apologise to customers whose journeys are affected by this work and thank them for their patience.”