COMMUTERS will breathe a sigh of relief today as a full rail service returns to Bolton.

There have been no trains between Bolton and Manchester since August 12, when Bolton station was closed to allow for major upgrade works.

That was followed by the collapse of a railway bridge at Moses Gate when a water main burst, prolonging the closure of the line.

It had been expected that a reduced service would resume this week until the start of October, but Network Rail bosses delivered the good news last week that the line could re-open fully today.

Commuter Stephanie Staszko is delighted that she will no longer need a replacement bus service for her daily journey into Manchester.

She said: “I was devastated when I heard there could be delays for weeks. It has taken me two and a half hours to get from Blackburn Road to Manchester on the bus and then a coach.

“The buses have been a nightmare, but there had been no mention of any kind of compensation for passengers, so I am very glad the services will be back to normal now.”

Alex Martin travels from Lostock to Manchester Oxford Road, via Bolton, every day, but has been driving to Daisy Hill and taking the train to Victoria during the shutdown.

She said: “It is a huge relief. It will take me half the time to get to work than it has been for the past few weeks.

“Going from Daisy Hill to Manchester Victoria, things have been very cramped and there has been a lot of congestion around the station. All of the people who usually go from Lostock have been going to Daisy Hill instead, so it has been difficult to cram them all in.”

Cllr David Chadwick, the council’s cabinet member for transport, said: “I am so pleased that the line back open sooner than we had anticipated.

“When I heard about the extent of the damage to the bridge at Moses Gate, I was concerned that it would take a lot longer to get it back in use.

“All credit to Network Rail, our highways department, and United Utilities for getting us back up and running so quickly."