End of line for sardine trains?

Relief could come more quickly for passengers on Rochdale’s overcrowded trains after the Government announced that it has set up a new company to speed up the building of more than 200 new diesel train carriages.

Northern Rail and TransPennine Express are among the operators due to benefit from the new carriages and longer trains will ease overcrowding on local lines where passengers can sometimes not even get on board in the rush hour.

Passengers using Castleton and Mills Hill stations regularly complain that they cannot get on a train in the morning rush hour and there are fears that the situation will get even worse when the Oldham loop closes for conversion to Metrolink this autumn.

Although the new carriages are destined for long-distance services, the “cascade” effect will mean more room on short commuter routes which are among the most overcrowded in Britain.

Lines between Manchester and Rochdale, Oldham, Stalybridge, Hyde North, Reddish North, Stockport, Manchester Airport, Urmston, Eccles and Salford Crescent are desperate for more capacity as rail travel becomes more popular.

There were fears that they may not arrive until 2014 but the new company, Diesel Trains Limited, has been set up as part of the Chancellor’s pre-budget review which will see an extra £1bn dedicated to accelerating major transport projects.

Transport Minister Andrew Adonis said: “This is the most effective way to buy new trains quickly and for the benefit of passengers. This new company is an illustration of the Government’s commitment to reducing crowding for rail passengers.

“This is a milestone in the delivery of new carriages which will help to increase rail capacity on some of our busiest routes. I’m delighted we have reached such an important stage and that passengers will see the benefits within a relatively short period of time.”