A STUDENT missed a crucial university exam after her train broke down for more than an hour.

Alya Chulla, aged 23, from School Hill, Bolton, had spent the past few weeks revising hard for the test.

She said she was upset when the train -- on its way to Manchester Victoria -- broke down just 35 minutes before the exam was due to start.

Miss Chulla had boarded the 8.48am train at Bolton's Trinity Street station which should have arrived at Salford just after 9am on Friday.

The exam was due to start at 9.30am but the train ground to a halt just half-a-mile from Bolton.

She had revised for weeks for the exam, which is part of her computer science course at the University of Salford.

About 200 people were late for work because of the train breakdown.

Miss Chulla said: "I am very upset and I feel like I have forgotton all the stuff I had revised. I don't know if I will be able to retake the exam."

First North Western Trains said there was a fault with the brakes. At 9.50am, the train was reversed back into Bolton, where passengers had to wait for another service.

Another passenger said: "I heard a clunk under the train, a lot of hissing noise and then the train stopped."