DISABLED passengers say they are being let down by inadequate facilities at Bolton train station, where the lift has broken TWICE in one month.

In the latest incident, 24-year-old Ellis Palmer had to take a 45 minute detour to Wigan before catching a train back through Bolton in order to get a service to Manchester Piccadilly.

It comes as leaders warned the situation is “unacceptable”, and after a disastrous timetable change last year which caused months of disruption for commuters.

Mr Palmer, who uses a wheelchair, said he arrived at Bolton station at 6pm on Monday evening and with plenty of time to spare before his train to Manchester Piccadilly, but was met with “chaos” as he tried to return home to London.

He said: “I gave myself two hours to get from Bolton to Manchester Piccadilly, I called ahead to book my assistance at the stations. I had planned everything.

“I went through the barriers and one of the members of staff said “Where are you going?” When I said I was going to Piccadilly, he said “you know the lift is broken?”

Without the lift, Mr Palmer had no way of getting to the platform for trains going to Manchester and was faced with missing his connection to Piccadilly and then his train to London Euston.

He added: “I told the man three times that under the Equality Act 2010, the staff would have to get me a taxi to make reasonable adjustments for my journey. He said I would have to get the train to Wigan and then catch a train to Piccadilly.”

The saga continued as he was forced to go back on himself to Wigan. He continued: “I had a 15 minute wait at Wigan. It was so ironic that the staff member in Wigan said that next time, I should ask for a taxi.

“It was even more ironic that they got me off that train, only to have to put me back on the same train as it was then going to go through Bolton to Piccadilly. I still went through Bolton, just 45 minutes later.

“I ended up being over an hour late to Manchester, missing two trains to London.”

He added: “I had a really good view of Bolton, all the bus drivers were great. When I got to the train station it was very disappointing.”

Just last month, wheelchair user Fiona Anderson also found herself with a 45 minute detour trying to get to Manchester because the lift at the station was broken.

Fiona, from Heaton and a Muscular Dystrophy UK campaigner, said at the time: “It makes it very stressful. I could arrive one to three hours later than I plan.

“That’s an issue with childcare as a mum. It has a knock-on effect on your daily life beyond travelling.”

Bolton MP David Crausby slammed station managers over the issue.

He said: “This is the 21st Century, it’s completely unacceptable that people should have to go to other stations. It’s not rocket science to fix a lift.”

Northern Rail, which operates Bolton train station, has been contacted for comment.

When approached over Ms Anderson’s story, they said at the time: “Northern staff will always seek to provide as much assistance as possible, suggesting other routes or providing alternative means, such as taxis, for onward travel if rail travel is not possible.”