A £35 million scheme is set to shake-up Bolton's transport system.

And a modernisation of Bolton's run-down railway station -- the third busiest in Greater Manchester outside Manchester and Stockport -- will be undertaken before this summer's Commonwealth Games.

The bus, road and rail network will be radically improved over the next 10 years.

But Bolton will not get an extension to the Metrolink tram system in the "foreseeable future," highways chiefs have revealed.

The Government cash boost to improve the town's transport system is being seen as compensation for missing out on the next stage of the Metrolink development.

Council chiefs, though, are confident Bolton will eventually get the tram extension.

Improvements to bus services will start this year on the routes between the town centre and the Royal Bolton Hospital.

Kerbs on the bus "corridor" will be adjusted to meet the bus height so prams and wheelchairs are able to get on and off.

More bus shelters will be created and improved at a cost of £250,000.

Drains will also be repaired along the routes. In addition, Bolton will be pioneering a new 'talking timetable' information system at individual bus shelters which will inform travellers how long a wait they face before the arrival of the next bus.

Better lighting will be installed along bus routes and Bolton's Moor Lane bus station will also be modernised. There will also be improvements to footpaths to gain access to bus stations throughout the town.

The project will also include a £2million reconstruction of the dangerous Trinity Street and Manchester Road junction in town -- which is also a bottleneck for buses -- and that will include pedestrian safety measures.

Westhoughton Railway station will have a £100,000 car park built with 50 spaces and a second platform will be created at Lostock to give easy access to Wigan and London.

The first £1million improvements at Bolton's rail station will include modernisation of the toilets which are in a poor state. New waiting rooms will also be built. The entrance and ticket counter will also be revamped. This work should be completed before the crowds arrive for the Commonwealth Games.

The money for the town's transport improvements will come from the Metrolink Funding with £3.5million a year over the next 10 years.

Bolton Council transport officer Paul Goodman says it is a huge amount of money for the town.

He said: ""We are looking at the whole issue of bus and rail facilities in Bolton. The idea behind all this is not to force people out of their cars but to give people a choice, and there are large numbers of people who do not have cars.

"There is also a health issue and people who live on the town's main roads don't have a very good air quality because of all the traffic, but more people could catch buses."

Executive member for environment Cllr Guy Harkin says the council will be making sure that the extra cash is spent of projects that other funding is not available for.

"It opens up a lot of opportunities. We are trying not to spend the money on things we can fund from other sources, but we can use it to enhance those schemes."