STATIONS across Bolton are making room for bigger and better trains by cleaning up platforms left unused for more than twenty years.

Daisy Hill, Hag Fold, Atherton and Hall i' th' Wood stations are included in the over 70 stations being refurbished and extended to allow for more carriages. The increase in seats comes after years of complaints from passengers unable to find space on crowded trains at rush hour.

According to Network Rail, work is expected to last between two and five months, with some of the construction causing noise concerns.

As the majority of work will be carried out at weekends or overnight, local residents were sent letters to inform them of the disruption.

The conversions at Daisy Hill station are already underway, cleaning up already existing platform length which had been abandoned for over two decades. Councillor David Chadwick, the executive cabinet member for transport and highways, has welcomed the work to enable five carriages at the station instead of only four.

He said: "It's great news. What Network Rail are doing is extending the length to get the extra carriages in and that is one of the biggest complaints passengers have."

Cllr Chadwick added: "They have taken the top surface off and put in new platform edges. Before they started, it was covered with vegetation and moss."

Other changes at the Daisy Hill station are also due to begin. As one of ten stations in Greater Manchester not suitable for disabled passengers, only accessible by a set of stairs, Daisy Hill has now been given money to install a lift.