ON March 2 at Manchester Victoria Station, the two-coach Northern train to Clitheroe via Bolton arrives late, and departs with passengers standing all through the train.

It manages to squeeze extra passengers on at Salford Central.

At Salford Crescent, the train is so full, nobody else can board.

On the opposite platform stands a three-coach First Trans Pennine train to the Airport, with passengers again crowded throughout the train except, in this case, half of one coach is empty because it is "First Class" only.

Who is to blame?

Answer - Dr M Mitchell and his team at the rail division of the Department for Transport who decide what is best for us from their ivory tower in London.

In London, no train is less than four coaches and they often run in multiple, forming eight and 12-coach trains, most of them new.

Dr Mitchell's team have decided that Northern cannot have any new trains during the current franchise, therefore most of their trains are at least 20 years old.

This is the same Dr Mitchell who recently told MPs that passengers should not expect a seat and should stand for at least 30 minutes (that is if you can get on the train in the first place)!

With people like this deciding what services railway companies can operate, it's no wonder the travelling public have no confidence in his decisions.

J Marsden Whiteoak View Bolton