AN ORGANISATION which aims to improve services and community facilities at Bolton’s train stations has been given the green light.

Bolton Area Community Rail Partnership was officially established last Friday, June 21, at a meeting in Bolton Station’s Community Room.

The new community rail partnership (CRP) - a specialised type of organisation recently established by the government - focuses on encouraging engagement at stations across the metropolitan borough.

The CRP has grown out of the highly successful Bolton Station Community Development Partnership, which will continue its work to revitalise the station.

The station partnership, along with several other organisations from the transport industry, local government, business, education and the voluntary sector, will be a member of the newly created CRP.

Paul Salveson, chair of the team behind Bolton Station’s recent renovations, welcomed the establishment of the group.

He said: “The CRP will have a much wider geographical brief and work to promote the local rail network across Bolton and beyond, on the basis of the Government’s Community Rail Development Strategy.

“We want the new CRP to build on the strong and positive backing which the station partnership has had from Northern, TfGM and Network Rail”.

Bolton’s CRP will apply to join the national Association of Community Rail Partnerships (ACoRP) and seek early accreditation as a full community rail partnership.

Jools Townsend, CEO of ACoRP, said: “We very much welcome the establishment of The Bolton Area Community Rail Partnership.

“Community rail is playing a unique role, working at a grassroots level to promote sustainable travel using local railways, enabling people to connect with their locality and those around them, and providing a stimulus for both social and economic development in the wider area.”