BROMLEY Cross train station could be improved if suggested amendments to the Transport Innovation Fund bid are given the go-ahead.

The Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA) is bidding for cash from the TIF, to invest up to £3 billion in public transport in the region.

Of that, £1.5 billion will be given as a grant and the remaining amount will be a loan, to be paid back through a congestion charge for motorists entering and leaving Manchester at peak times.

Amendments have been made to the initial proposals, following consultation with the public.

The refinements will be considered by AGMA’s executive board on Friday, October 31.

For Bolton, the new proposals include plans to improve facilities and car parking at Bromley Cross train station. Across Greater Manchester as a whole, there are plans to simplify bus fares, cap ticket prices and introduce a low paid worker discount of 20 per cent during peak periods.

The Yes Campaign has welcomed the amendments, calling them a “great deal for Bolton commuters.”

Lis Phelan, chairman, said: “Lower bus fares and extra investment in Bolton’s rail facilities make this a great deal for the town. “The combination of the fares cap, simpler tickets and lower fares for low paid workers will be a huge boost for bus passengers.

“This will make a real difference to the household budgets of many low income families in the borough.”

However, leader of the Conservative group on Bolton Council Cllr John Walsh says they are little more than “tinkering at the edges of the transport problems.” He added: “Unless they introduce a twin track line between Bromley Cross and Darwen they are just playing with the problems.

“You cannot increase the capacity of the station without doing that.

“The proposals are still a bad deal for Bolton, and will cost Bolton motorists.

“Whatever anyone wants to call it, it is a stealth tax on motorists at a time when people are hard pressed as it is.”

Members of the public will be asked to vote on the plans, in a postal referendum due to be sent out to residents next month.