THE latest setback for Bolton’s rail passengers comes 12 years after the then Bolton Evening News launched a campaign to improve conditions on trains.

In 2001 we produced a dossier of reports of train misery for passengers who were complaining about “cattle truck” conditions when travelling on trains.

At the time, a series of exclusive reports revealed the alarming conditions for Bolton passengers caused by an inadequate number of trains leaving passengers forced to line up nose to nose.

There were also reports of men and women forced to stand uncomfortably close to one another and people being swung to and fro whenever the train lurched forward.

The Bolton Evening News dossier of train misery was sent to the government of the time in a bid to improve conditions, but today rail users said nothing has changed.

Phil Taylor, aged 53, worked as a freelance photographer, and is still a regular rail passenger.

He said: “I remember taking pictures of the trains during the campaign back in 2001 but there has been no change in terms of the overcrowding.

“The experience of using the trains in Bolton has not got any better.”