Greater Manchester commuters to benefit from more train carriages

Greater Manchester transport leaders have cautiously welcomed the Department for Transport’s announcement that Northern Rail will receive a further 22 extra train carriages this December, bringing the total to 60 since spring 2010 – but also say the government must continue to take steps to reduce further overcrowding for passengers.

Some of the additional rolling stock, which will be redeployed from other parts of the national rail network, will be used to provide extra seats on some of the busiest services in and around Greater Manchester.

Councillor Andrew Fender, Chair of Transport for Greater Manchester, said: “Today’s announcement is encouraging news, although we must remember that the announcement covers the entire network presently operated by Northern.

“This rolling stock will certainly help to ease overcrowding on some services. However, there’s still a long way to go. We’ll need to see a lot more rolling stock for train operators in Greater Manchester if we’re to meet the needs of the growing number of rail passengers.

“Overcrowding is already a daily problem for passengers commuting in and out of Manchester by train, and demand for rail services continues to increase.

“The government has acknowledged that rail improvements play an important role in strengthening the economy. Therefore we would expect that more rail carriages, as well the Northern Hub proposals and plans for high speed rail, would be a priority for central government investment.”

The announcement brings the total number of carriages provided to Northern Rail under the government’s rolling stock programme up to 60. Ten of these carriages are already in use in Greater Manchester, and it is understood that the remaining 50 will be introduced by the end of the year, 13 of which will be used daily in Greater Manchester.