RECENT observations confirm something I have long suspected — Manchester is a good reason to live in Bolton.

I remain steadfastly loyal to my adopted town, but it is obvious that the big city easily accessible from Trinity Street or other local railway stations is increasingly attractive for workers, shoppers and fun-seekers.

“Sardine” railway carriages are a fact of life at peak hours as thousands of workers from Bolton and other provincial towns make their way to and from the self-styled capital of our city region.

But non-regular travellers can be surprised when they discover that the trains are busy at other times of the day and night as well.

We went in to Manchester with lots of other passengers at teatime the other Friday — youngsters looking forward to a spot of partying and older types, such as ourselves, on the way to restaurants and theatres.

The 11 pm train back to Bolton and beyond from Victoria was packed and it looked like a bizarre sort of rush hour as we all headed for the exit at Trinity Street.

Demand for rail travel on the line between Preston and Manchester has clearly grown over recent years and it is good news that it is to be electrified by 2017, creating the opportunity for faster and more reliable services.

This is long overdue and so is the £4 million refurbishment of Bolton station that is scheduled to start in May. People who use the train between Bolton and Manchester now have some reason to believe it will be a more comfortable experience in the future.