Easing the rail squeeze

THE squeeze on rail commuters facing an overcrowding nightmare at Mills Hill Station could be loosened as new carriages arrive.

The station, on the Chadderton boundary, which has surged in use since the closure of the Oldham loop line two years ago, will see an extra 309 seats on three peak-time trains.

Carriages are ending up packed to the rafters — with some unlucky passengers left on the platform as the train rolls away during rush-hour time.

Chadderton ward councillor Jack Hulme said the station has taken “a really big hit” over the past two years.

Bedlam

Joanne Leighton, an Oldham commuter to Manchester, said: “These trains are so packed that any delays or cancellations cause complete bedlam.

“It has been over two years since the Oldham line closed and as a traveller who used the very reliable service from Shaw it has been a complete nightmare.”

Regular commuter Gillian Berry, speaking on behalf of other passengers, said the 7.24am train has been nearly always late for the past few weeks and has only two carriages leaving it very crowded, while the 5pm return is similar.

This week, up to 30 passengers were unable to get on at Mills Hill. Now commuters are begrudging paying for monthly tickets for such a poor service.

She added: “Travelling to and from Manchester like sardines is not my idea of fun.

“When the trains are late then this makes everybody late for work. Sometimes I have had to wait for an hour before getting on a train. All the guards and conductors tell you to do is complain, but when you ring Northern Rail all you seem to get told is that they do not have enough carriages or they are in for repair.”

Northern Rail is set to receive an additional 60 carriages to alleviate overcrowding — 10 of which are already in service. The remaining 50 will enter next month.

From Mills Hill into Manchester Victoria, a total of 210 extra seats will be split on the 7.38am and 8.37am services — with a further 99 seats added to the evening service departing from Manchester Victoria at 6pm.

Leader of the opposition on the Transport for Greater Manchester committee, Councillor Richard Knowles, who uses the station as he travels to work at Salford University, declared around 100 extra carriages were due to come to Greater Manchester lines — but this was reduced due to spending cuts.

The Liberal Democrat, who lives in Saddleworth, said: “There were 200 diesel carriages promised for the North-West by the last government — half of which were going to come to Greater Manchester. We are going to get nothing near that now.

“When the new timetable starts in December, there will be more, but nothing compared with what we hoped for.”

Councillor Hulme, who also uses the line regularly, said it could be a “wait and see” situation when Metrolink arrives next year.

“If Metrolink does not have a beneficial impact we have got to renew pressure on Transport for Greater Manchester,” he said.

A Transport for Greater Manchester spokesman said: “Members of the TfGM committee are working hard with the Department for Transport to resolve the overcrowding.”