COMMUTERS have been given a major boost with news that Bolton's railway line will re-open fully next week.

No trains have passed between Bolton and Manchester for weeks — due to the closure of Bolton station for electrification upgrade works and the later collapse of a railway bridge at Moses Gate.

A reduced service was expected to start up again next week and run for a further four weeks, meaning prolonged pain for commuters left frustrated by heavy delays on replacement buses.

However, Network Rail has now confirmed that the line will re-open fully on Wednesday, September 6.

The Moses Gate railway bridge, in Farnworth, was badly damaged on August 17 when a burst water main caused a section of it to collapse onto the railway below and created a hole in the road above.

Since then, engineers have been working around-the-clock to carry out extensive repairs and are now far ahead of their expected schedule.

Andy Morgan, senior sponsor for Network Rail, said: “We have worked around-the-clock to repair the damaged bridge so we can get passengers back onto trains as normal between Bolton and Manchester as soon as possible.  

“Repairing the water-damaged bridge has been a complex engineering challenge which included rebuilding a large section of wall which supports the bridge. Thankfully we have been able to fast track some of the work so Northern can run a full train service again from Wednesday, September 6. 

“We continue to work with Bolton Council, Transport for Greater Manchester and United Utilities to safely finish the repairs and I thank passengers and local people for their ongoing patience.”

This morning, The Bolton News reported how passengers were fed up with 'hot, dirty, and sweaty' bus replacement services that were adding hours to their daily commute.

Northern Rail bosses admitted that there had been 'teething problems' during the rail shutdown and asked customers to bear with them during an 'extremely challenging situation'.

Liam Sumpter, Northern regional director, said: “We look forward to welcoming customers back to Bolton on Wednesday as we restart a full train service for journeys into Manchester. 

“We want to thank all of our customers for their help and understanding as we’ve worked through the challenges of the Moses Gate situation."

The bus replacement services which are currently in operation will continue until next Wednesday.

Work to stabilise the embankment and complete repairs to the bridge will continue at Moses Gate. Although a completion date for work to repair Bolton Road is yet to be confirmed it is expected reopen within the original six week estimate.

The work at Bolton station — which included remodelling of the tracks, the reinstating of a fifth platform and improved signalling systems — was completed on time by Bank Holiday Monday.

Sir David Crausby, MP for Bolton North East, said: "It is about time we had some good news, because a lot of goodwill has been lost in recent weeks.

"One of the issues raised with me is the impact on people who have passes which cover trains and buses. They have lost out and I think they should be compensated.

"It is good to see that things are finally happening with the trains and progress is being made, but we have to keep moaning about it — that is the only way we will get the improvements we need."