A CAR park next to Bolton Railway Station will close permanently next week as work to reinstate a disused platform begins.

The land near Orlando Street, which Network Rail describes as an ‘unofficial car park’ will be shut to motorists from Tuesday January 24 to allow engineers to reinstate platform five at the station, which was taken out of use more than 20 years ago.

Platform Five is being brought back into use in a bid to improve services and maximise the effectiveness of the faster electric trains which are set to arrive on Bolton’s network in about a year.

Slower trains will be able to pull into Platform Five and allow the faster electric services to pass them and arrive at destinations sooner.

Terry Strickland, area director for Network Rail said: “To bring platform 5 back in to use, we need to rebuild the platform and reinstate the track on land that is currently used for car parking. The additional platform is vital to our Railway Upgrade Plan on this route and will help to create better journeys for passengers in Bolton.”

“We are investing heavily in Bolton as part of our Railway Upgrade Plan to provide passengers with the railway that will meet their needs for many decades to come and help boost the economy across the north of England.”

“This upgrade work will mean a better, more reliable railway for passengers. To deliver it, significant engineering is required to improve the track layout, rebuild platforms and make space for new equipment to power electric trains in Bolton.”

Work at Platform Five is thought to compliment the creation of a £48 million transport interchange nearby, which will be connected to the railway station via a modern Skylink bridge.

Leader of Bolton Council, Cllr Cliff Morris, added: “Improvement to local transport infrastructure is crucial and the reinstation of Platform Five will bring benefits that will complement all the investment that we are making. The new transport interchange will provide an up-to-date modern facility and, together with all of the other transport improvements taking place, our residents and commuters will really feel the benefit.”

Northern Rail also has plans to modernise Bolton railway station itself and has begun this programme with the introduction of automated gatelines which aim to help to improve security and encourage all customers to hold a valid ticket before they board trains.

In the coming weeks and months there will be further work at the station to improve lighting, refresh paintwork and make the general environment more welcoming.

Liam Sumpter, Regional Director for Northern, said: “We made a commitment to improve rail services for all customers, and the proposed improvements at Bolton – which are already taking shape following the introduction of the gatelines – are just one way in which we are delivering on that commitment.”