Bury Bolton Street Station, East Lancashire Railway Reviews Summary

Family Experience

Pros:

• "Fantastic 3 generations family experience on Santa special."
• "What a wonderful day out on the santa special with family today."
• "The best experience possible! Our granddaughter was enchanted by the whole experience, the staff, the characters and definitely Father Christmas!"
• "Wow what an experience we went as a family of 5 (my daughters & grandsons) for the Santa express… it was magical, well organised & most importantly it was fun!"
• "Went on the Santa train with our two four year olds. An amazing day."
• "We went on the santa special, was a lovely hour an half experience for the children and adults would recommend and will be going again."
• "Fantastic day out for kids, went for the santa train."

Cons:

• "Really disappointed with our trip on the Santa train."
• "Santa special wasn't what we expected at all... We basically paid to sit on a steam train for 1 hour 30mins."
• "The Santa experience was absolutely awful... it was dull, lacked any magic."
• "did the santa special train, and all the entertainment was on the first passenger cabin, we was at the far end where we was, they only came round for 3 half song and santa was only there for less than 2 minutes."
• "Terrible experience. We were booked on the Santa Express and when we turned up we queued for 20 mins before being told the train had been cancelled."
• "Santa train was an absolute shambles, no warning that they just decided to cancel the train!"
• "Sadly our day was mainly full of overly boisterous teenagers, adults getting drunk."

Staff and Service

Pros:

• "Always enough carriages for ample seating and friendly smiling staff that love to be there."
• "The staff (= volunteers) have always been very friendly, helpful and do credit to the railway."
• "Station staff friendly, polite, and extremely knowledgeable."
• "The staff are friendly and knowledgeable, making sure that everyone has an enjoyable time."
• "Super friendly staff, decent quality gifts for the kids, a brilliant atmosphere."
• "The staff/volunteers are really friendly and helpful and happy to share their knowledge and passion."
• "The friendly staff made the event even more enjoyable, ensuring everyone had a great time."

Cons:

• "The gift shop was a Little pricey and the staff member tried to charge us twice for something as she threw away her copy of the receipt and had forgotten she had done this!"
• "Finally, on returning from the railway, I was made aware by industry colleagues that one of the long serving volunteers has been quietly ‘let go’ after raising a grievance."
• "The only repeated issue is lack of any pre-boarding information or staff, until actual boarding starts."
• "Also the ladies toilets required attention."
• "Unfortunately I cannot give a good review. Me and my other half went on the dining with distinction experience in December. The carriage was beautifully presented, but the dinner was horrible, pate frozen in the middle."
• "Was asked to pay bill while we were still eating."
• "Absolutely ridiculous customer services and after care, which is actually dealt by the events manager, who is clearly un-equipped or able to comprehend what a complaint is."

Facilities and Maintenance

Pros:

• "Inside you will find a railway station stopped in time which is great!"
• "All stations had well kept flower tube. You could get a verity of food & drink at most stations."
• "Main stations, Bury Bolton St, Ramsbottom & Rawtenstall beautifully restored and preserved."
• "The facilities on the platform were clean too."
• "The railway station is terrific. Its in very well maintained time warp condition.. a credit to all concerned."
• "The train and station were spotless."
• "Facilities well stocked and clean."

Cons:

• "Carriage exteriors especially the maroon stock are overdue a coat of paint."
• "There are toilets on the platform however they do get very busy with queues forming."
• "Sadly only the cafe at Bury was open, the Trackside Bar at Bury and Buffer Stops and Cafe at Rawtenstall were all closed."
• "The only issue is that it means it doesn't have all the accessibility features we are accustomed to."
• "Absolutely brilliant staff and facilities but the parking in and around is abysmal."
• "Unfortunately on theme days this can get full very quickly so unless you are getting there first thing in the morning you will probably have to park elsewhere."
• "Parking was a nightmare but we luckily got a space on the road."

Value and Pricing

Pros:

• "The railway is well looked after and is an enjoyable experience for all ages."
• "The fish & chips are delicious, and good value."
• "Well worth the money."
• "In my experience tickets are no more expensive on the day than advance tickets."
• "Well priced for a nice little trip."
• "When we booked we thought it was somewhat expensive (3 adults and one under 3) however, after visiting, I can 110% say that it was worth every penny."
• "£8.50 return journey for adults. Kids were cheaper and they do an OAP discount."

Cons:

• "Do not buy tickets in advance even with protection impossible to change dates or get a refund & you can't get through on phone."
• "Can be pricey especially at Christmas but is definitely a good place to go and have a look round and a ride on a working steam loco."
• "Really unhappy with the tickets we were sold, 50 quid for a walk in since online wasn't allowed and it didn't include the transport museum who refused us entry."
• "£25 each."
• "Went for 'day out with Thomas' prices are quite expensive but a fab day out!"
• "The Train experience cost £25 per ticket and I'd say well worth it."
• "Drinks were a little expensive, but it's a free house, and most of the beers looked like they were from local breweries."