No trains to Manchester for hours after cancellations on Ironman Sunday

Passengers have been left waiting after several trains were cancelled between Bolton and Manchester today (Sunday, June 30).

Signs in Bolton station warned travellers that there was a ‘limited service’, with no trains to Clitheroe, Blackburn, Wigan, or Manchester Victoria.

A message on Northern’s ‘JourneyCheck’ website advised passengers not to travel on some routes.

In a statement, Northern apologised that its services have “not been up to scratch in recent weeks.”

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An ‘extremely limited service’ to Blackpool North was running, while services to Barrow and Windermere would call at Horwich Parkway, Chorley, and Preston.

Some services to Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Airport were also cancelled—with a gap of more than an hour between services between Manchester city centre and Bolton at one point in the day.

Replacement buses were not provided on several routes, including Barrow to Whitehaven, Stalybridge to Wigan, Colne to Preston, and Clitheroe to Blackburn.

Passengers allowed to use TransPennine services

TransPennine Express services running between Glasgow and Edinburgh to Manchester Airport which stop at Bolton usually stop to pick up passengers towards Scotland and to set down passengers towards Manchester only, meaning passengers are not allowed to use the train to travel between Bolton and Manchester, unless they buy a ticket to or from Preston.

Passengers can use TransPennine services - though these are not advertised as travelling towards Manchester on departure boards (Image: Jack Fifield, Newsquest)

However, the train operator – which, like Northern, is operated by the Department for Transport, confirmed that ticket acceptance would be in place due to the disruption today.

A TransPennine Express spokesperson said: “Our Control team have confirmed that ticket acceptance is in place for TransPennine Express services between Manchester and Preston, including Bolton, as a result of the cancellations on Northern services.”

These TransPennine services do not display that they will stop at Bolton, but do appear on the National Rail journey planner website today.

A spokesperson for Northern said: “Our performance and reliability have not been up to scratch in recent weeks and for that we are sorry.

“Our operational colleagues are working hard to keep journey planners up to date, but customers should check closer to the time of travel.

“The fastest way to stay up to date is via our Whatsapp service. Simply send a Whatsapp message saying "Hello" to 07870 606060 and select 'Get Train Info' from the menu.”

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Passengers can also use their ticket on alternative Northern services between Burnley Manchester Road and Blackpool North, Wigan Wallgate and Manchester Victoria via Eccles, and Manchester Vicotria and Blackburn via Todmorden.

A limited service between Southport and Blackburn is running, with some replacement buses also available.

Unused tickets for cancelled trains can be refunded in full from the point of purchase, according to National Rail.

If you have a story, I cover the whole borough of Bolton. Please get in touch at jack.fifield@newsquest.co.uk.