Notes: Opened as Bag Lane the station was situated on the Kenyon Junction to Bolton line which had opened in stages from 1828 to 1831 as the 'Bolton and Leigh Railway'. The first section of the line from Bolton to Chequerbent opened on 28.8.1828. The line had been engineered by George Stephenson and it was one of his locomotives, the Lancashire Witch, that made the inaugural run. The line had reached Leigh by March 1830 but it was not until 2.6.1831 when the line had reached Kenyon Junction on the famous Liverpool and Manchester Railway that passenger services began. The first passenger run was an excursion from Bolton to Newton for a horse racing event.

The station was renamed as Atherton before 1847 and again renamed to Atherton Bag Lane on 2.6.1924.. The station was provided with two platforms and substantial booking and waiting facilities on both platforms. The station was served by trains running between Great Moor Street and points to the west of Kenyon Junction. By the 1930's over 20 trains per day operated.

By the 1950's traffic levels had dwindled to six services running between Bolton and Kenyon Junction or Warrington. West Leigh Station closed to regular passenger services on 27.3.1954. Freight traffic continued to serve the station until 7.10.1963.

Bag Lane was extended across the trackbed after the railway was closed. Part of the trackbed remains to the south of the station site, but new housing covers the trackbed north of the station site.

The only evidence that a railway existed is the presence of a Railway Hotel, located at the junction of Bag Lane with Railway Street.

To see the other stations on the Bolton Great Moor Street - Kenyon Junction line click on the station name: Kenyon Junction, Pennington, West Leigh, Atherleigh, Chequerbent 1st, Chequerbent 2nd, Daubhill 1st, Rumworth & Daubhill & Bolton Great Moor Street