British Rail-era trains travelling through Bolton could soon be a thing of the past as rail bosses look to replace them.

The Class 150 ‘Sprinter’ diesel trains were developed and built by British Rail Engineering Limited in the 1980s, for use across regional services.

Four decades on, the ageing trains, which are formed of two or three cars, are still in use across many operators across the country, including Northern, London Northwestern, Great Western Railway, and Transport for Wales.

The Class 150 units were built for British RailThe Class 150 units were built for British Rail (Image: K. Krallis (SV1XV), Creative Commons CC BY-SA 3.0)

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Northern’s units have been refurbished since they were first introduced.

In 2019, the units had WiFi and power sockets added, as well as real-time passenger information screens – while, in 2022, a unit was kitted out with ‘LIDAR’ scanning cameras to help identify defects in the railway track.

Some rail fans have called the units – which regularly run from Bolton towards Clitheroe and Blackburn – the ‘worst trains’ in Northern’s fleet – owing to interior conditions, a lack of air conditioning, and more.

Meanwhile, trains serving destinations from Bolton such as Manchester Airport and Blackpool North have already been upgraded.

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In 2018, fully air conditioned trains manufactured by Spanish firm CAF were unveiled by Northern as part of a £500m upgrade. The three- and four- car units are now regularly seen running between destinations on the network.

A spokesperson for Northern said: “We have started the process to buy new trains and we are focussing on replacing our oldest vehicles, which does include our Class 150 fleet.

“We’re at an early stage and it's likely to be a lengthy process.

“We published a Contract Notice in May inviting suppliers to get involved and we’re working on the next steps with the Department for Transport.”

If you have a story, I cover the whole borough of Bolton. Please get in touch at jack.fifield@newsquest.co.uk.