BOLTON rail campaigners have welcomed news that Scottish train services will run through Bolton again from 2017.

The government has said that whoever takes over the TransPennine Express (TPE) franchise in two years will have to make sure that trains running between Manchester Airport and Scotland call at Bolton.

It will mean there is an extra train to the airport from Bolton every hour.

But the new operators will not be required to make sure the train stops at Bolton train station during the morning or evening rush hour peak.

The decision to re-direct the Scottish service away from Bolton via Wigan in 2013 sparked The Bolton News’ Let’s Get Back on Track campaign, which demanded the government and operators take action to address overcrowding on the town’s "cattle truck" railways.

We delivered a petition with more than 1,000 signatures to 10 Downing Street a year ago — with prime minister David Cameron promising to put an extra 200 seats on the morning rush-hour services.

In rules specified by the government, whichever operator gets the Northern and TPE franchises must also ditch the "old bus on rails" Pacer trains and resolve the issue of overcrowding by reducing standing to an acceptable minimum of no more than 20 minutes in peak times.

Jeff Davies, chairman of the Bolton Rail Users Group, gave a cautious welcome to the government’s announcement and said he hopes politicians will make sure the proposals are delivered.

“The government has now listened and seems to have got the message that something really has to be done”, he said.

“This change of heart is welcome, but the proposals remain to be delivered.

“We now have to make sure that the Department for Transport and the new operating companies fulfil everything that is in the announcement and more.

“This will be a four or five years job as a minimum and we should not be complacent.”

Cllr David Chadwick, Bolton Council's cabinet member for highways and transport, welcomed the news but said the authority had to keep working hard to make sure Bolton commuter voices were heard.

He said: “We have got an agreement from TPE that from their perspective, it is in their interests to bring the Scottish trains back through Bolton.

“It’s a quicker route and a shorter route, and they already have established customer relations.

“Clearly as a council we are going to have to put pressure on our MPs to make sure that we do have peak services running through Bolton.

“The council has got to work with the MPs and the train operators — the unknown quantity is who is going to be running the franchise at that time, because it should have been allocated by now.”