Park and Ride boost for Lostock train station

Work on a major new Park and Ride at Lostock train station in Bolton has finished nearly two months ahead of schedule.

Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE) has managed the project, which has been jointly funded with Bolton Council through the town’s Transport Infrastructure Fund.

The new Park and Ride has 226 parking spaces, 14 of which are for disabled users. Improved lighting and CCTV has been introduced to boost security while the some of the surrounding area has also been landscaped.

Network Rail, which owns the land, is now using part of the site while it installs a new double junction track layout at Lostock to increase speeds and improve train service reliability. It expects to complete the work in early March.

GMPTE’s Interim Project Director, Paul Griffiths, said: “We finished work on the new Park and Ride at the end of January and have now handed it back over to Network Rail. It’s a vast improvement for passengers with nearly four times as many spaces.

“Some of the spaces are temporarily out of use while Network Rail carry out further upgrades for rail passengers, but only for a matter of weeks. In the meantime, I’m sure passengers are welcoming the much improved facility.”

The old car park had 55 marked parking bays. Demand for parking was so high cars were parking on adjacent unsurfaced ground every day, which was often waterlogged in bad weather and did not make best use of the additional land.

The new Park and Ride was scheduled for completion on 27 March. 140 spaces are now available and the remainder will open in mid-March when Network Rail has completed its work on Lostock junction.

The Park and Ride will then provide 226 safe and secure spaces, for free use by rail passengers.

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